Fate Unravelled
by CringeWorthy
Summary: AU. JJ, media liaison for the BAU is at the park one day with her son Henry when she meets Emily. JJ feels an instant connection but has only the mysterious woman's first name to go on. With all hope of finding her all but given up, fate brings them together once again and JJ is determined to find out who this bombshell woman is and make her a permanent fixture in her life.
1. Chapter 1

JJ lay in bed, eyes wide open as she watched the rays of sunlight peaking through the slats of her blinds. She had only gotten a few hours of sleep the night before, the case they had just returned from having haunted what little sleep she could muster.

The blonde knew she should probably get out of bed and start her morning ritual but she still held out hope that she could get another hour or two of sleep. Though she wasn't really holding her breath on that one, sleep seemed to be just out her grasp.

She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, watching the light creep across it. Just as the tension left her body and her blue eyes started to slide closed, her bed suddenly dipped and a small body was shaking her enthusiastically.

Resisting the urge to sigh at the interruption, she cracked an eye open and looked at her son. "Momma! Momma!" The little blonde haired, blue eyed boy yelled excitedly, his tiny little hands jerking his mother to wake her up.

JJ couldn't help but smile as her hands shot out and playfully tickled her son. "What has you so excited this morning, Henry?" She asked, her lack of sleep quickly forgotten as she relentlessly tickled her son's feet and stomach.

"Momma! Park!" He squealed happily, having been looking forward to their playtime in the park all week.

Her hands stilled and she smiled brightly at her son, almost as excited as he was to spend the day together. With her job at the BAU, quality time with her son was limited, but when she finally got the time, she cherished it.

"Well let's get ready then!" She had barely gotten the words out of her mouth before Henry was jumping off the bed and scrambling towards his bedroom.

With a light laugh, she rolled out of bed and quickly got dressed.

After getting Henry ready and gathering their things they left the house, Henry vibrating with excitement as he was buckled into his car seat and JJ smiling happily at her excited son.

A short twenty minute drive later to Henry's favorite park, they walked hand and hand down the graveled walkway and towards the jungle gym. As soon as the play equipment was within sight, Henry took off at a mad dash as JJ screamed for him to be careful.

She dropped down onto a bench where all the other mothers and nannies took up residence when their kids were busy playing. The blonde didn't mind sitting there and watching her son, it was probably one of the more relaxing activities she found herself doing.

She pulled out her phone and quickly checked her messages before looking back at the swings where Henry had just been, except, he wasn't there.

Normally, she would take a moment and calmly look for him but after the case she had just had where children were kidnapped and abused for days on end; she was more than a little on edge. Moments where her mind immediately jumped to the worst case scenario was an unfortunate side effect of her job.

JJ jumped up from her seat and ran to the jungle gym, looking from the swings to the slides, over to the monkey bars, her eyes frantically searching the area for her son.

"Henry!" She yelled, trying to keep the frantic tremor from her voice. "Henry!" She screamed again, eyes never staying in one place for very long.

Her mouth opened to scream again when there was a tap on her shoulder and she whirled around, eyes wild and hand clenched in a tight fist and coiled to strike.

A tall woman with captivating brown eyes and shoulder length black hair stared at her wide eyed before regaining her composure. "Uh, you're looking for a blonde boy with blue eyes, right? Henry?" She asked, her voice sounding deep and sensual and the perfect embodiment of sex, at least, according to JJ.

The blonde smiled sheepishly, her hand unfurling, "Yeah, Henry, my son."

"Right, I didn't want you to freak out and wonder where he was but I can see I'm a little late," the raven haired woman said, her voice light and carefree as she waved her hand towards the little boy who was playing with a yellow lab. "He saw my dog and wanted to pet her." She said as an explanation, her brown eyes darting from JJ to the Henry.

"Oh thank God," JJ muttered, finally feeling like she could breathe. "My mind tends to jump to the worst case scenarios first," JJ said honestly, her eyes now solely on her son.

"I completely understand. The world is a dangerous place," the woman replied, a hint of knowing lingering behind her eyes before she started to walk towards her dog and the boy who seemed completely infatuated with the animal.

JJ followed behind the woman, her eyes automatically raking over the woman's body. Normally, Jennifer wasn't one to outright stare but this woman seemed to stand out amongst all the other people here. It also didn't help that she was one of the most beautiful women JJ had seen. (The fact that JJ hadn't been on a date in a _very_ long while probably didn't help matters either.)

The woman crouched down by her dog, petting it behind the ears. "Henry, your mom is here." Her smooth voice whispered loudly to the boy, causing his eyes to snap towards his mother.

"Momma, look!" Henry shouted excitedly, his hand running through the Labradors short hair as he scratched its back.

"Henry, you know better than to just run off like that," JJ admonished, though seeing her son playing with the adorable dog was making her anger fade quickly.

The boy frowned instantly, tears threatening to spill from his blue eyes, "Sorry," he whispered guiltily.

JJ looked to the woman who just stood there and watched the interaction silently, "Sorry, I'm JJ and you already met Henry," the blonde said, giving her son as stern as a look as she could muster.

The woman chuckled before sticking her hand out, "Emily," JJ reached out and shook her hand, ignoring the little burst of electricity that seemed to shoot through her arm once their skin touched.

Emily showed no signs of feeling the same thing but her brown eyes were twinkling with amusement. JJ stared at the woman before her, feeling the need to stir up conversation. "Cute dog, what's her name?" the blonde asked, feeling incredibly lame for having spewed that question out.

"Aurora," Emily responded, her eyes never once leaving Jennifer's baby blue ones.

There was an awkward pause as they stared at each other, but Emily cleared her throat and looked down at their still joined hands, a smirk pulling at her full lips, "Mind if I get my hand back?" She asked, humor lacing her words.

JJ nearly smacked herself in the forehead but opted instead to gently extricate her hand from the extraordinarily long handshake, a nervous smile spreading on her face, "Sorry," she muttered.

"We…we should get going." JJ finally managed to spit out, feeling like a nervous dork and hating every second of it. Jennifer was used to being the calm, collected and smooth woman who had no problem flirting with anyone. Be it man or woman, she could usually just bat her eyes, throw out a line or two and end up with a number and a date. She wasn't used to being flustered and nervous.

Emily smiled brightly, her white teeth on full display, leaving JJ a little dazed. "It was nice meeting you Henry," she smiled at the little boy and then turned towards JJ, "and you too, JJ."

JJ smiled widely at the other woman before ushering her son away, mumbling "You too," and making a hasty exit.

It was only after Henry was buckled into his car seat that JJ started to chastise herself for not asking for Emily's number. JJ rarely met women she felt an instant attraction to and who seemed to enjoy being around kids, it seemed like a big leap but the raven haired woman struck a chord with JJ.

The blonde just wished she had mustered up the courage to make a move instead of awkwardly shaking the woman's hand for five minutes and smiling like a dope.

"Let's go home," JJ said to her son before they pulled out of the lot and made their way back to their house.

* * *

On Monday morning when JJ strolled into the office, her mind was elsewhere but she was determined to stop thinking about the raven haired bombshell she had met and who had taken up residence in her thoughts all weekend. '_Stop thinking about her_' JJ's mind growled.

"What has my cupcake so distracted?" Garcia asked, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

JJ stared at her bubbly friend for a moment, wondering how in the hell she could be so perceptive. "Uhh..." was all she managed to muttered before Garcia squealed and plopped herself down in a chair.

"Who is it?" The tech analysts asked, needing all the details.

"Uhh..." JJ responded for a second time, feeling her brain stuttered to a stop as her best friend fired questions at her. '_Overload. Overload._' her brain screamed at her.

"When did you meet?" Garcia fired another question, her annoyance at lack of response starting to bleed through.

JJ's brain finally jumpstarted and she held out a hand to stop the barrage of questions being thrown at her. "Whoa! Calm down Pen!"

Garcia smiled sheepishly before a full-blown grin appeared on her face, "So... Details!" she shouted, unable to contain her joy for more than a few seconds.

"I'm not seeing anyone. There is no special someone. There's nothing, so please calm down." JJ tried her best to reign in the terror that was Penelope Garcia but that didn't seem like a viable option today.

"Oh, sweetness, you can't fool me. I'm the all knowing after all." Penelope said cockily, her eyebrow raised in a silent challenge. JJ didn't take the bait.

"Seriously Pen, there's no one." Even JJ had to admit that she didn't believe the words coming out of her mouth.

"Ooh! I knew it!" The tech analyst squealed again, bouncing up and down in her chair with unbridled excitement. "Details!" She all but shouted, leaning forward expectantly in her chair.

JJ sighed loudly, her hands toying with her empty coffee cup. "I met a woman at the park the other day." The media liaison finally muttered, her eyes sparkling as she remembered the encounter.

"So, did you get her number?" Garcia asked, happy to see her friend finally taking an interest in someone.

JJ's wistful smile fell and her eyes dropped to her desk, "Uh, no." Her hands started fiddling with the coffee cup again. "But I'm really wishing I had. Pen, you should have seen her." Blue eyes unfocused and fogged as they thought about the tall and gorgeous raven haired woman. "She turned me into a blubbering mess just by looking at me. If she hadn't been so gorgeous I might have been a little peeved." another smile pulled at the liaisons lips.

"Ooh, she sounds promising," Penelope gushed, not missing the goo-goo eyes her usually distant friend was sporting. Not only was the tech analyst happy to see her friend so clearly smitten but it was nice to see her finally showing an interest, even if it was for a stranger she probably only met for five minutes.

Since getting pregnant with Henry, JJ hadn't had much time to put herself out there. Combine taking care of a son with her busy job as Media Liaison at the BAU and her docket was pretty much full. Plus, there was the fact that not many women wanted to jump headfirst into a relationship with someone who already had a child.

Garcia had seen far too many days of slumped shoulders and defeated baby blue eyes and was hoping beyond hope that this mystery woman might finally be JJ's ticket to happiness. Sure, Henry was adorable and brought happiness to not only his mother but anyone else he met but Penelope firmly believed JJ needed more than that. JJ needed someone to talk to when a case hit particularly close to home (not that Garcia was abdicating her throne as best friend but there's only so much comfort a best friend can provide), she needed someone to provide quiet support and even someone who wouldn't mind a date consisting of a trip to the zoo because JJ had missed her son too much to be away from him, even if it would only be for a few hours.

The tech analyst prided herself on being able to read people and with the spark she could see lighting behind JJ's eyes, she had a feeling this mystery woman could do all that and more. It also didn't hurt that this woman already knew JJ had a son so if she hadn't been interested JJ wouldn't still be obsessing over her.

Pulling herself from her musings, Penelope leveled her friend with her best 'I'm-getting-to-the-bottom-of-this' stare and started firing off more questions. "What's her name? What do we know about her? What does she look like?"

JJ's laugher bounced off the walls of her office and put an abrupt end to Garcia's never ending questions. "Whoa! Calm down Pen!" The media liaison would never willingly admit it, but she was glad Garcia had a way of making things seem so light and jovial. "Her name is Emily and the only thing I know is that she has a yellow lab named Aurora."

The analyst huffed at what little information JJ had, "Jayje, I have a lot of skills but I don't think I'll be able to find princess charming with such little to go on." Even as she said it, Garcia was still trying to work out a way to get this woman's information, at the very least, her full name.

"I don't need you to find her, Pen." JJ automatically replied, though there was a trace of disappointment in her eyes as she said it. "Wait, princess charming?" She finally asked after the words registered in her brain.

Garcia just laughed in response and got up from her seat, pulling her friend into a tight hug, "Of course, what else would she be?" The analyst asked as if it were the most obvious nickname out there.

JJ laughed, "Thanks Pen," she muttered with sincerity before taking her seat and beginning the endless piles of paperwork that sat before her.

Walking out of JJ's office, Penelope was determined to work a little magic, even if it meant hacking a few cameras and security systems. JJ was her best friend and she was willing to break a few laws if it meant giving her friend a shot at something special. Garcia was determined to track down this Emily woman with the yellow lab named Aurora.


	2. Chapter 2

Garcia spent the remainder of the day hacking into the park security cameras to try and catch a glimpse of this mysterious woman, Emily. She had managed to catch a few blurry images but nothing clear enough for her to work her magic with.

When that route of attack didn't pan out Penelope started checking around at nearby pet stores for a credit card purchase under the first name Emily but that avenue was exhaustive and she just didn't have enough of a description to really narrow things down. All she had to go on was what little JJ had provided and the grainy and distant image of her in the park.

Things were not looking good.

That alone infuriated the all knowing tech goddess, she was supposed to be able to find people like it was nothing and this woman, this _Emily_, was ruining her perfect record.

The usually bubbly blonde huffed as she resumed her duties for the BAU, but was still determined to find this mystery woman; if not for JJ then at least to preserve her title as the all knowing.

* * *

While Garcia was busy looking for Emily, JJ was knee deep in case files and phone calls. If the blonde had been worried about a certain brunette occupying her mind and distracting her, she wasn't anymore.

Work was hectic and she found herself wishing she had a distraction to pull her from the death and horror she was currently surrounded by. It didn't matter how often she saw these things or how many killers they put behind bars, the things she saw still got to her.

She didn't think there would be a day that they didn't.

After an exhausting phone call with a detective in New Orleans, who sounded a tad drunk she might add, she was in desperate need of a caffeine fix. Just as she rose from her seat her cell phone started ringing and she reluctantly answered it.

"Jareau," she barked into the phone, letting her bad mood shine through.

"JJ?" The hesitant voice responded, sounding thrown off by the blonde's last name as way of a greeting.

"Oh, sorry Anna," JJ said apologetically, immediately regretting how she answered the phone, "busy day," she said as way of an explanation.

"S'alright," the woman on the other end replied. "Uh, I was just calling to let you know that it looks like Henry is coming down with a cold or maybe the flu. He's been sneezing all day and he feels a little warm."

JJ switched into 'Mom mode' in the blink of an eye and started to pull out her list of pediatricians. "There's some children's cold medicine in the bathroom," she muttered as eyed the list before her, "is it just sneezing and a fever so far?"

Anna paused for a moment, her voice sounding a little far from the phone, "No," there was a rustling sound, "Oh, Henry," the muffled voice said off in the distance and JJ could hear the barely hushed sounds of someone throwing up.

She clutched the phone a little tighter to her ear, as though the simple action could enhance her hearing of the things on the other end. "Anna?" She asked, forcing herself to remain seated even though every fiber of being was telling her to go home and tend to her sick son. '_You can't always be there Jareau!_' she scolded herself, though it didn't help.

The phone rustled again and Anna's voice poured through it, "Sorry, JJ. Henry started throwing up and I dropped the phone to get him to the bathroom." She sounded a little out of breath and her words sounded worried. "I'm going to give him some of that medicine you mentioned, I'm pretty sure he's got the flu."

JJ took a deep breath and willed her nerves to settle, "Alright," the blonde replied, warring with herself on whether to take an early day and tend to her son or to stick it out at the office. Really, it was no contest, she knew her son needed her and she would be there for him. "I'm leaving the office right now; I'll be there in a little bit."

Before JJ could say anything else, Anna's voice cut her off, "No, JJ, you don't need to rush here. It's just the flu; he'll spend most of the day sleeping it off. I just gave him the medicine and he's already starting to doze off. If things get any worse, I'll call."

The media liaison wasn't used to Anna using such a forceful and authoritative tone, but she supposed that's why she hired the young woman to watch her son when she couldn't do it herself. JJ sighed, knowing the other woman was right. "Fine," She grumbled, not entirely pleased with having to wait another four hours to see her son.

"Do you want me to schedule an appointment with the doctor?" The other woman asked, the sound of the stairs creaking in the background.

"Uh, no. The number I have at the house isn't the right one, we got new insurance and I have to find a new pediatrician." It was at that moment that JJ regretted putting off that particular task.

"Alright, I better get going and put Henry down."

JJ nodded then realized the other woman couldn't see it, "Ok," she said, albeit a bit weakly, but she figured she was allowed to sound a little weak when her little boy was home sick and she was stuck at work.

The line clicked and JJ automatically started calling the doctors on her list of approved pediatricians.

The first one was booked for an entire week and even if that wasn't the case, JJ didn't particularly like the snotty tone the receptionist had.

The second one had her on hold for twenty minutes before 'accidentally' hanging up on her, though JJ thought that happened because the receptionist, Stacy, sounded strangely familiar and the blonde wouldn't be surprised if that happened to be someone she 'dated' and never called back. '_Whoops_' she thought sarcastically before dialing the third doctor.

"_The number you have dialed is no longer in service. Please hang up and dial again." _The automated voice caused the blonde to curse loudly and jab angrily at her phone. "Are you kidding me? How hard is it to find a freakin' pediatrician?" JJ grumbled irritably, not liking that it was taking this much work to find a doctor.

JJ was used to immediate medical care, but that might have had more to do with the fact that 98% of her doctor's visits were spent in an ER where she had either been hit by an UnSub or shot, either way, it explained her speedy health care and impatience with the medical system.

She huffed once more before dialing the last number on the list, "Dr. Prentiss, how can I help you?" a smooth voice answered, sounding eerily familiar to the blonde.

JJ was more than shocked to hear the pediatrician herself answering the phone and it worried her a bit that there were so few patients that the doctor could actually answer the phone herself. But JJ was beyond the point of being picky and just wanted to get her son to the doctor.

"Hello, my son is sick and I'd like to make an appointment as soon as possible." JJ was in professional mode, not wanting to sound like a worried mother and have yet another person hang up on her. This place was her last hope.

"Can you hold on a second while I check the system?" the doctor asked, her voice putting the blonde at ease for some strange reason.

"Uh, sure."

The sound of a keyboard clicking could be heard through the phone and JJ could almost hear the smile in the doctor's voice as she asked her next question, "Have you been here before?"

"No, I haven't." JJ answered immediately, hoping that there was an opening soon.

"Okay, well, you'll have to fill out the necessary paperwork when you bring your son in." The woman on the other end paused as more buttons were pushed, "I can squeeze you in on Friday at 2:00."

JJ debated whether she should take the appointment or not, "Is there anything sooner?" She knew she was pushing her luck but with the news constantly talking about a new flu strain floating around, she couldn't help but be a little paranoid in wanting to make sure her son didn't have it.

"Hmm," the doctor responded, sounding torn before seemingly coming to a conclusion, "if you're _especially_ worried, you can bring him in today at six. I'll stay late and see him." Despite the fact that she was offering to work late, the doctor sounded surprisingly happy.

JJ was a little thrown off by the offer but wasn't about to pass up the chance to get Henry seen so soon, "Six o'clock works great for us, I mean, as long as you don't mind staying late. He could probably wait until Friday," JJ could feel the word vomit falling from her mouth and she was helpless to stop it. For a moment, she wondered why she was suddenly acting so flustered and rambling, this was not her norm and it was seriously starting to piss her off.

'_Cool your jets Jareau!_' She scolded herself.

"Trust me, I get it. I've had a lot of parents bringing their kids in because they're afraid. The news has been playing up the newest flu strain and it's been great for business but killer on the parents I see." The doctor sighed, and JJ couldn't help but feel a little silly for being one of those aforementioned parents. "Anyways, just bring him in at six and I'll check him out. You'll also have to fill out a ton of paperwork, so, consider that karmic payback if you will for keeping me late." The other woman teased, laughing lightly. Her laugh was so infectious that JJ found herself joining in.

"Well, in that case…" JJ trailed off, a playful smirk playing at her lips.

"Please, who would pass up a chance to see a doctor after hours and fill out paperwork?" The doctor chuckled, her voice so light and carefree that it made JJ wish she could see the woman in person. The woman went quiet for a moment and the blonde could hear her talking to someone, "Well, I have to go, my next patient just showed up. If you need to reschedule, just call and let me know."

JJ could hear the woman switching from light and playful to professional in a moment and she figured it might not be the best of things if patients thought their doctor was busy flirting on the phone when she was supposed to be tending to their sick kids. '_Flirting?_' JJ thought, '_C'mon JJ, she was being friendly. You heard her, increase in the flu means more business. You're a prospective customer, nothing more._'

"Alright, and thanks again for staying late."

"My pleasure." The other woman said before the line went dead.

The liaison set her phone down and just stared at it a moment, wondering why the world was messing with her so much; first the woman in the park and now this doctor.

Shaking her head, she rose from her seat and got some much needed coffee, determined to get her caffeine fix then get home to her son.

* * *

At 5, JJ was already jumping onto the elevator and on her way home. She was so preoccupied on getting out of the building that she didn't even notice Garcia was in the elevator with her.

"Something the matter, Jayje? You never leave work at five." JJ jumped into the air, her hand flying to her now hammering heart as she tried to calm herself down.

"Jesus Pen! You scared the hell out of me." JJ didn't see the amused look on her friends face as she closed her eyes and willed her heart to slow to a reasonable pace.

"I was standing here the entire time." Penelope offered as an explanation, amused that she managed to get the drop on her friend considering they had been riding in the elevator for at least a minute together before she even opened her mouth.

"I'm a little out of it. Henry is sick and I have to rush home and get him if I'm going to make it to his doctor's appointment." JJ had been so glad to have snagged an appointment that she didn't even consider how much rushing she would have to do to not only get Henry ready but also drive back in this direction to get to the doctor's office.

"My little Henry is sick?" Garcia asked, her concern for her Godson quite evident.

"Yeah, Anna thinks it might be the flu but…" JJ stopped as she thought of how quickly things like the flu could escalate, especially when it was children. "You know how quickly the flu turns into something worse."

JJ shook her head, adding "I worry too much," when she noticed the familiar amused twinkle in Garcia's eyes. "Shut up, Pen." She grumbled, as the elevator doors opened.

"I didn't even say anything!" Penelope shouted, humor lacing her every word as she watched JJ rush towards her car.

Getting home and getting Henry dressed and ready was a chore JJ did not enjoy doing, but it was a necessity so she figured getting him healthy was more than worth the mild temper tantrum he through and the endless amount of time spent in traffic.

At 6:10 PM they walked into the doctor's office and took a seat, noticing the empty reception area. It was nothing like the other offices JJ had been too, at least not when she had taken Henry when he was smaller. They were always small and stuffy with too many fake plants and outdated magazines for children.

This place looked like it was tailored to those with money to spend and high-taste. The office itself was rather large and JJ couldn't help but wonder why one doctor would need an office this big. There were several plasma tv's on the wall, one with a children's cartoon on it and the other with CNN while the others remained off.

A few colorful flower arrangements sat on the tables in between the sections of waiting room chairs. (Which JJ would admit, were more comfortable than the chair she sat in at work, and that was saying something.) The walls were a sky blue that the blonde was sure looked great during the day where the large windows could let the sunshine in and brighten the place up.

When she looked at the magazines on the table, it was a wide assortment but that wasn't what surprised her, the fact that they were all recent was.

'_You wouldn't cut it in a high taste place Jareau if all it takes is up-to-date magazines to make you feel upscale_' she nearly laughed at the truth of herthoughts.

JJ stood up and walked up to the empty reception area and looked for a bell or buzzer that would let the doctor know they were there. As she looked down at the desk, she saw the clipboard of information they needed on new patients and started to fill it in, figuring if she was going to wait, she might as well get something accomplished while she did so.

'_That doctor wasn't kidding when she said there was a ton of paperwork,_' she bristled at the amount but she shouldn't have been that bothered considering her job pretty much revolved around the stuff.

Just as she finished the last page, a tall woman with brown eyes and shoulder length black hair stepped out of a room, her hands stuffed into her white coat and stethoscope draped around her elegant neck.

The woman smiled brightly as she approached JJ and Henry, "JJ, right?" The woman asked, and JJ was too busy staring at the woman who had taken up residence in her brain to really speak, so she settled for nodding like a dope.

"Hello again Henry," The doctor, Emily, said cheerfully, peering down at the now attentive Henry.

Emily looked down at the clipboard in JJ's hands, "You filled out all the paperwork?"

JJ again, nodded; unable to make her mouth work properly. Though this did explain why she turned into a flustered teenager on the phone earlier.

"Well, then let's you checked out and see if we can't make you feel better, huh?" Emily directed her question towards Henry as he climbed down from the chair and anxiously grabbed the doctor's outstretched hand.

"It's just back here," Emily said over her shoulder, to JJ, as they walked through the door and into the empty room.

"Okay, Henry, I'm going to need you to stand here so I can get your height and weight, think you can do that for me?" Emily smiled pleasantly at Henry when he nodded the affirmative and stood on the scale.

JJ watched as Emily's nimble fingers slid the knob on the scale and wrote down the necessary information. Watching the woman work captivated JJ in a way she never thought was possible.

"Great job Henry, now, let's get you on this bed and see if we can't find out what's making you feel so icky." She lifted the boy onto the bed and took his temperature, tsking when it finally registered.

She scribbled something down on her clipboard and checked his heart rate, lungs and throat, before turning towards JJ. "Well, he definitely has a fever, 101.2, but his heart rate sounds fine and I can't hear any respiratory problems so he doesn't have the newest flu strain that's been going around." She paused a moment, as if she knew that JJ needed a moment to let that information sink in.

JJ did in fact, let that information sink in but she couldn't help but wonder how many times Emily had needed to tell parents that today. It all seemed a little engrained in the woman and it made JJ feel even sillier for being one of those people.

"Is it just the fever or has he been experiencing other symptoms as well?" Emily sounded perfectly professional and JJ found that almost as captivating as her playful side. '_Stop ogling the woman and focus on your sick son!_' her mind screamed at her.

"Uh, he's been sneezing and he was throwing up earlier. He was given some cold medicine but that's it." JJ couldn't really offer much more since she hadn't been there.

Emily nodded thoughtfully as she wrote that information down. "Doesn't sound serious, it's most likely this 72 hour bug that's been making the rounds. Just give him lots of fluids and if you want, I can give you a prescription to get rid of the fever and sneezing. Of course, you could always pick up some common drug store medicine like Pediacare or Robitussin; either option would work."

JJ blinked, unsure why this woman being so helpful was making her feel so strangely. It wasn't as though previous doctors were mean, but they certainly hadn't been as nice or accommodating as Emily was being.

"I'll just pick up something at the drug store," JJ answered, not really wanting to wait around to fill a prescription.

Emily nodded and slipped her prescription pad back into her pocket and led them both into the waiting area. "Did you have any other questions?" The raven haired woman asked, almost as an afterthought.

"Nope, you covered everything." JJ smiled as she gazed into those deep chocolate eyes across from her.

"Looks like you're all set then, Jennifer." Emily said happily as she reached into her pocket and handed Henry a purple sucker.

JJ's eyes widened as her first name fell from the doctor's lips. Normally, JJ hated the way her name sounded and anyone who was brave enough to say it usually ended up with the threat of being shot or a black eye but coming from Emily, JJ could get used to it.

Something about the way the other woman said it made it sound sensual and exotic; something her name was undoubtedly not.

"You're the woman from the park," JJ all but shouted in response. For the second time, she wanted to smack herself in the head, wondering why she felt the need to constantly spew things out without putting much thought behind them.

"Yes, I am," Emily nodded her head in amusement. "You aren't stalking me, are you?" the doctor asked after a moment, her eyes twinkling with mirth as she gazed at the blonde. When JJ shook her head in the negative, Emily smiled widely. "Are you sure? Because, there's a fine line between romanticism and stalking, and sometimes it can get blurred. And if you are going to stalk me, I ask that you be a bit more discreet about it."

When JJ's mouth dropped open, Emily couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of her. "Too easy, Jennifer, too easy." Emily chided, taking great joy in seeing the other woman so flustered.

"Not nice, Emily." JJ finally managed to say, a smile spreading on her lips as she watched the other woman laugh. It was then that JJ realized just how right Penelope had been, she was definitely smitten with the doctor.

"That's doctor to you, Miss Jareau." Emily chuckled and tapped the area where her name was sewn into her white doctor's coat.

JJ smirked, "I managed to get you to stay late, I think that puts me on a first name basis, don't you?" It was like the confidence that had left her every time she met this woman suddenly came rushing back to her at full force.

Emily chuckled again, "Touché, Jennifer."

JJ ignored the tiny shiver that rolled down her spine as her name fell from those perfectly plump lips.

For a silent moment, JJ and Emily stared at one another, neither knowing what to say next but neither wanting the moment to end. Unfortunately for them, Henry decided it was in that moment to make himself known as he tugged anxiously on his mother's hand, "Home now?"

JJ nodded her head as she smiled down at the little boy. "Thank you for seeing him, it means a lot." She said sincerely, hoping Emily could hear how grateful she felt at the action.

"Really, it's no problem, it's my job." Emily smiled at them both and moved around the reception desk to lock up the file she had on her newest patient.

Just as JJ reached the door, she froze with her hand on the knob. She had made the mistake of not getting the other woman's number once and she would be damned if she did it again. Normally, JJ wasn't one to believe in fate but running into the woman twice in just a few short days was too much of a sign for her to pass up.

The blonde steeled herself, "Wait right here, Henry." She told her son before marching over to the doctor who was still behind the reception desk.

"Forget something?" Emily asked; her eyes focused on the cabinet she was locking up.

"Yeah, you're number." JJ knew it was cheesy as hell and probably a little too bold but she was determined to get this woman's number.

Emily's head snapped up and her eyes widened just a fraction and JJ couldn't help but wonder if she had read the signals wrong.

Before she could backpedal and apologize, Emily was scribbling something down. "Here you go," Emily handed over one of her cards with her cell phone number written in elegant script on the back.

JJ stared blankly at the card, shocked that the other woman had so readily given it to her.

Emily stepped out from behind the reception area with her jacket in hand and JJ was brought rushing back to reality.

The blonde smiled proudly and stuffed the card into her pocket before grabbing Henry's hand and walking out of the office, Emily not far behind.

"See that, Henry? Mommy's still got it." She whispered conspiratorially to her son as she buckled him into his car seat.

She climbed into the driver's seat and couldn't wipe the goofy grin from her face even if she tried. That Emily Prentiss was something else and JJ couldn't wait to find out just what that something else was.

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed the first chapter and especially those who have favorited and followed it!**


	3. Chapter 3

JJ walked into the BAU office the next morning, looking a little haggard but smiling nonetheless. If she were being honest with herself, there wasn't much on this Earth that could wipe the smile from her face.

Well, there was a moment the night before where she thought Henry might throw up on her; that certainly wiped the smile from her face, but aside from that, her smile remained firmly in place.

Emily's card had been burning a hole in her pocket and she was shocked by how badly she wanted to call and make a date with the doctor. Of course, that burst of surety and confidence seemed to crumble when she thought about how her job might affect things. If her prospective partners didn't bolt when she mentioned Henry then her job was sure to chase them away. JJ knew for a fact that no one wanted to wait around by the phone day in and day out waiting to see if their loved one returned home or if they would be raising someone else's child alone.

And when her brain hit that particular tangent she had to force herself to remember that she was getting way too far ahead of herself. She hadn't even had the number for a day and she was already talking herself out of pursuing Emily.

Things weren't looking good for JJ and she could feel her smile faltering.

Much like it had happened the previous day, JJ had just taken a seat at her desk, coffee cup in hand, when Garcia burst into the office.

"How's Henry?" The bubbly tech analyst asked, before she took a moment to take in her friend's appearance. Judging by the bags under JJ's eyes and the worn look her friend was sporting, she figured Henry wasn't doing too great.

"72 hour flu according to the doctor." JJ took a sip of her coffee, willing the caffeine to absorb itself into her bloodstream instantaneously so she wouldn't feel so tired.

"Doesn't sound too bad," Garcia mused, peering intently at her friend. Her spidey senses were tingling and she had a feeling there was more going on than JJ was telling.

"Nope, he was just a little fussy because of the fever. It didn't break until around 4 a.m." An involuntary shudder hit the blonde as she remembered just how bad things had been the night before.

Penelope narrowed her eyes as if she could read the hidden thoughts in her friends head, "What else happened?" she asked curiously, hoping JJ's tired state would mean less effort in prying the juicy info out.

For her part, JJ just raised her eyebrow and stared blankly at her friend. Her mind was moving at a much slower pace and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to discuss the topic of Dr. Emily Prentiss when she wasn't at the top of her game.

It seemed however, that Garcia had other plans. "Spill."

JJ huffed and took another sip of her coffee, "I ran into the mystery woman from the park," she said slowly as she attempted to get her thoughts in order.

"Princess charming?" Garcia gushed, already taking a seat across from JJ.

The media liaison just rolled her eyes, "Yes, princess charming."

"Where? When? How?" Garcia fired out the questions, much like she had last time.

JJ stared at her blankly again, her brain refusing to let the questions register as anything other than high pitched ramblings from an overexcited best friend.

Garcia sighed heavily, "Where?" the word tumbled from her mouth slowly, making her feel like she was talking to a 5 year old rather than a 31 year old.

"Doctor's office." JJ mumbled, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "She's Henry's doctor."

Garcia squealed loudly and she bounced excitedly in her chair, "Princess Charming is actually Dr. Charming? Can this get any better?"

"Prentiss," JJ mumbled again, her head resting in her hands as she waited for her coffee to do its magic.

"What?" Garcia asked, her excitement turning to confusion at her friends mumbled words.

JJ sighed and sat up in her chair, pulling her head from her hands, "Dr. Prentiss; her name is Emily Prentiss, no need for Dr. Charming."

Garcia's eyes narrowed a bit as the name sunk in, it sounded vaguely familiar but she couldn't quite place it. "Emily Prentiss," the second she said it, it definitely sounded familiar. "She sounds familiar, have we met her before?"

JJ's forehead scrunched up as she thought about it, "Actually, now that you mention it, it does sound a little familiar." They both wracked their brains trying to remember where exactly they had heard the name before, "Maybe it's just one of those names people recognize," JJ suggested when her mind turned up blank.

Garcia shrugged, "I could look it up and check." The offer seemed innocent but when it came to Garcia, JJ knew better.

"No!" JJ all but shouted before calmly repeating it again, "No." Her hand automatically went to the pocket that held Emily's number, "I don't want you doing a background check on her, no looking into her past, checking her credit score, none of it. Are we clear, Garcia?" In most cases, she wouldn't really care if Penelope looking into their background but things felt different with Emily and it wouldn't look good if it somehow slipped that she had let her best friend look into her background.

No one in their right mind would be comfortable hearing something like that and JJ didn't want to take a chance that it happened and Emily found out. Nope, JJ was playing it safe this time.

Garcia crossed her arms petulantly, not liking this rule one bit. "C'mon Jayje, it would take, like, two seconds."

JJ's eyes narrowed as she stared down her friend, "No. I mean it Pen, stay out of it."

The tech analyst huffed loudly but didn't push the subject any further, "Fine." She waited a moment before adding, "But the offer is always on the table if you need it."

Nodding, "Thanks Pen, but I don't think I will."

"Okay since the background check is out of the question, tell me all about her." Garcia waggled her finger at JJ, "And no leaving things out!" She knew JJ had a penchant for leaving things out and since she wouldn't indulge the analysts need to snoop, she was determined to get every drop of juicy info JJ had.

"I don't really know where to start," the liaison said after a moment.

Resisting the sudden urge to roll her eyes, Garcia leveled her friend her most serious stare and tapped her fingers impatiently on the desk. "From the beginning would probably be a good spot."

JJ rested her head on her steepled fingers, "I didn't even know Emily was the doctor we were supposed to be seeing until she walked out of the exam room." '_Looking like a runway model, I might add,_' JJ added mentally. Judging from the knowing smirk on Penelope's face, she figured that the tech analyst knew exactly what she was thinking.

Clearing her throat unnecessarily, JJ played through the events of the night before, "Anyways, as soon as she saw us she instantly recognized us." The blonde tried to stifle her dreamy smile but doubted she was doing a very good job of it, "And she was great with Henry."

"Of course she was, sweetie. Kids are her specialty." Garcia laughed at the unamused look her friend was giving her before throwing her hands up in a surrendering gesture. "Sorry. Please, continue."

JJ tried to keep her stern look but it was rapidly fading so she just sighed and went on with the story. "So like I was saying, she was great with Henry. Normally he gets a little fussy and ends up crying but with her…" she shook her head slowly, "she was great Pen."

"Everything about her is great," JJ breathed, her hand pulling out the card with her number written on it and holding it up for her best friend to see. "And I got her number."

JJ didn't even bother reigning in the huge grin that was threatening to split her face in two. She was definitely way too excited about this small feat but she had scored a sexy doctor's number and damn it she was going to be excited about it.

"My little smitten kitten," Penelope joked, her own smile morphing to mirror her friends. "Are you going to call and ask her out?" The question was out of her mouth before she could think of a tactful way to prod for an answer.

More than a little startled at the blurted question, JJ could only stare at her friend, as though the answer to it were the most obvious thing in the world. JJ took a second to think about the elusive doctor in question and immediately brought her hand up to point at the unstoppable grin on her face, "Every time I think about her, this happens," JJ pointed out to her friend, noticing how giddy the other woman was getting, "do you honestly think I could _not_ call her?"

JJ raised an eyebrow at her friend, "Seriously, Pen, this is ridiculous." Her hand was still pointed at her intact smile, "I don't do this. _This_ doesn't happen."

The humor that had been in JJ's voice was slowly giving way to panic and Garcia didn't hesitate to do some instant damage control. She knew as much as JJ wanted to find her 'other half' she was a bit of a commitment phobe, no thanks to the numerous failures of previous relationships she had experienced.

So the slightly wide eyed panic look she was seeing on the media liaison was to be expected, though it was a bit soon. Garcia wasn't used to seeing that look until somewhere around the fifth date, when things tended to get serious and there was an inevitable mention of her son, Henry.

This was yet another reason Garcia believed this thing, whatever it was or would be with Dr. Sexy, was serious. If JJ was freaking out this soon, before she even called the poor woman, then that meant JJ could see a very promising future.

"Gumdrop, you're looking a little manic and it's not a good look on you." Garcia said softly, her hands held out in a soothing manner, as though she were talking a person down from the ledge.

"Pen," JJ pleaded, her blue eyes looking desperately confused as joy and fear swirled within them.

"Seriously, Jayje, calm down. Take a deep breath and relax." Garcia tried again, finding it funny that the woman who dealt with hoards of angry reporters was having a mild panic attack at the mere _thought_ of calling a woman who she was clearly into. And said woman was obviously into her as well, otherwise she wouldn't have handed out her number so easily.

"Oh my God, I can't do this. I should just rip up the number and not call her. Who would want to date a woman who has a kid? Oh God, and then with my job, I'd never be here. What would she see in me?" JJ's head shook furiously, years of dating fears tumbling out of her mouth, "I already know how this is going to go, Pen. I'll take her out and it'll be romantic and I'll think we're clicking and then all of a sudden she'll find out about my job seeing as how she already knows about Henry and then she'll be okay with it at first. Because they're always okay with it at first and then by the second cancelled date she'll be running for hills." JJ's rambling was cut short when she took a long and necessary breath, "I should just save myself the impending disappointment and heartache."

Garcia, not one to tolerate her someone wallowing in self-pity reached across the table and slapped her friend right across the face. Thinking back on it, Garcia was really only doing it because she had seen it done so many times in the movies and really, who hasn't wanted to pull that move. But it was effective and JJ's hand immediately flew up to her cheek as she stared wide eyed at her slightly abusive friend.

"You're absolutely right Sweetie, things could go terribly wrong." Penelope nodded solemnly, her hand darting across the desk to grab Emily's card, "Which is why we should probably just rip this up and throw it away." JJ didn't say anything; she just stared at the card, frozen in place. She sat motionless for a moment, still shocked that her best friend just slapped her and wondering how serious Garcia was being right now, because she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Garcia didn't bluff when it came to threats.

And ripping up that card was definitely a threat.

Just as Garcia's hands moved to rip the card (in a typical over exaggerated Garcia fashion) JJ sprang up from her chair and leapt across the desk. "No!" She screamed loudly as she ripped the card from Penelope's hand.

Garcia only made it a second before she started howling in laughter, not at all surprised the other woman felt the need to actually leap over the desk to get the card. "I thought you were too afraid to call?" She asked, taking far too much pleasure in the grimace JJ was sporting.

"Shut up Pen." JJ grumbled for the second day in a row.

When her laughter finally subsided, Garcia wiped a lone tear from her eye, "Call her," she ordered.

She saw the hesitation in JJ's eyes and repeated her order again. "Call. Her."

JJ glanced down at the card then to her phone, repeating the process two or three times before setting the card on the desk, "I can't ask her out so soon. I'd look like a terrible parent if I asked her out while my son was getting over the flu."

Garcia was about to argue that but she could see JJ's point; it _would_ seem a bit tacky if she were to ask the woman out the day after she was just told her son had the flu. "Fine. Once Henry is better, you need to call her. No Buts." She added, cutting off the soon to come protests.

Now that her freak-out was over, JJ started to gush like a high schooler, "You should have seen her Pen. If you had, you would understand why I couldn't pass up this chance, even if the thought gives me an anxiety attack." She toyed with the edge of a closed folder, "It's bad, isn't it?" The question was vague and if it were asked to anyone but Garcia, they wouldn't have understood, but this was Garcia and she knew exactly what JJ was referring to.

"Yeah, it's pretty bad." Garcia said quietly, seeing no point in dancing around what both of them already knew. "You've got a serious case of Dr. Sexy-itis." It was said with a straight face and such conviction that they both immediately started laughing.

"Get out of here Pen," said between laughs, "if you're here any longer I'll never finish this pile of paperwork and I'll move from infatuated with Emily to flat out obsessed."

Penelope smiled widely, her eyes twinkling with mirth as she gazed at her friend, "Please, sweetie, who are you kidding? You hit obsessed the moment you saw her in her sexy doctor's coat."

Before JJ could offer a witty reply Garcia was prancing out of the office, her laughter floating off into the distance.

* * *

The next two days passed in a blur for JJ, between her workload and nursing Henry back to health, she had her plate full. But that didn't mean the doctor she had pushed to the back of her mind didn't occasionally have her daydreaming.

By day three JJ was gripping her phone tightly in her hand and staring at the screen like it was her salvation. After Garcia's threat to destroy Emily's number, she had programmed it into her phone. So she pulled up the contact number, where her finger hovered over the green phone button; the only thing separating her from a date with the woman who had invaded her brain.

She took a deep breath and pushed the button, listening with bated breath as the line rung once, then twice, and then a third time.

Just as she was about to hang up, the line clicked and a husky voice answered. "Hello?"

JJ knew it immediately, it was Emily.

"Hey, it's JJ," she responded quickly, wondering if Emily would even remember her.

"Oh, Jennifer, how are you?" Emily's smooth voice spoke through the earpiece, sending a small shiver down JJ's spine as she reveled in how unique her name sounded from the doctor's lips.

"I'm doing great, how about you?"

"Pretty good, you know, just waiting around for a pretty blonde to call me. Nothing too special." Emily remarked casually, though JJ was sure she could hear the taunting smirk in her voice.

"Pretty blonde huh? Guess I should hang up so your line isn't tied up, wouldn't want you to miss that call after you've been waiting for so long." The banter flowed easily and JJ couldn't help but wonder how she could be so confident one moment and so flustered the next.

Emily laughed softly, "Now why would you go and do a thing like that Jennifer? Her loss is your gain."

This time, JJ laughed, her hand reaching up to toy with her hair as she smiled at nothing in particular, "That's one way of looking at it," she teased, enjoying the easy flow of the conversation.

"Jennifer, you wound me," Emily said theatrically, her hand moving to cover her heart even though the woman on the other end wouldn't be able to see it. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were implying I'm not a wonderful acquisition."

JJ chuckled quietly, "Acquisition? What are you, a painting?"

Emily scoffed, "Well, not to toot my own horn but I have been compared to works of art before." She paused for a moment, "Of course, those were mostly really bad pickup lines at the bar."

The blonde could totally see that kind of thing happening to Emily, mostly because the same thing had happened to her time and time again. "I don't doubt that," JJ muttered, none too quietly.

Stifling her laughter at the comment, Emily tried to steer the conversation back on topic, "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this very entertaining phone call?"

"Well, before you distracted me," JJ huffed playfully, "I was going to ask you out to dinner."

The other line went silent for a moment before Emily responded softly, "I'd love to."

JJ smiled broadly at the response, "Saturday at 7 good for you?" The media liaison hoped she didn't sound as giddy as she was feeling, she would save the pent up squeal of excitement for when she hung up and Emily had no chance of hearing it.

"Sure, I'll text you my address." Emily, however, didn't bother to hide her excitement at the prospect of a date with JJ. She was smiling from ear to ear and her voice was a dead giveaway that she was, indeed, looking forward to this upcoming date.

"I'll see you Saturday, then."

"Looking forward to it Jennifer." Emily remarked happily,

JJ said her last goodbye before hanging up, resisting the urge to do a small dance in her chair. Saturday couldn't get there fast enough.

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and followed this story! I'm really enjoying writing it and I'm glad you guys are enjoying it too.  
****The next chapter should be up by tomorrow afternoon, hopefully. I'll try to keep the updates coming. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Happy Valentine's Day!  
**

* * *

Saturday evening JJ stood in her bedroom with Garcia hovering behind her. "Seriously Pen, I think I can manage picking out an outfit by myself." The tech analyst had seemed almost as excited about this date as JJ had been and had since been hovering around JJ as she got ready.

"Sweetie, it's adorable that you think that, but no, you can't." Garcia said patronizingly, the smirk on her face taking the sting out of her words.

Before JJ could comment, she held her hand up to stop her, "I know these things. You'll pick an outfit and you'll be fine for _maybe_ five minutes before you start to second guess yourself. And when you've worked yourself up and are busy throwing clothes onto the bed, you'll call me in here. It'll take me ten minutes to prove that the first outfit you picked is perfect. I'll tell you it's revealing but not slutty and that it makes your already gorgeous eyes pop and your skin glow. You'll give me a skeptical look but eventually cave. And then you'll bow down and recognize me for the awesome and omnipotent goddess of knowledge that I am."

JJ quirked an eyebrow at the last comment, unable to refute the other points because as much as she hated to admit it, that's probably how things would have played out. Instead of arguing she just accepted her fate and opened her closet, letting Garcia rifle through her things until she found something worthy.

Surprisingly, it didn't take very long for the analyst to find what she was looking for because the dress in question was practically shouting out, 'Pick me!' and that's exactly what Penelope did.

Among all the outfits JJ had, a single deep blue backless dress seemed to stand out, and the liaison was secretly relieved that Garcia had picked said dress. She had been planning to wear it tonight and was sure that it would be the perfect thing for her first date with Emily.

JJ stripped down and started to slide into the dress when Penelope's enthusiastically nodding head halted her movement. "What?" The liaison asked; bewildered as to why her friend was giving her a thumbs up before the dress was even completely on.

"I see we went with the sexy lingerie for our first date," her eyebrows waggled suggestively, "planning on putting out on the first date?"

JJ sputtered and looked down at the clothing in question, "What?" she asked innocently, "These old things? I wear stuff like this all the time." As hard as she was trying to sound convincing she could tell her friend wasn't buying it.

"No, you don't. No one who does our job or who has a child, dresses like that," Garcia supplied happily, her hand motioning towards the very racy lingerie.

A blush graced JJ's cheeks as she finished putting her dress on, "Wait, are you saying I dress like a mom?" She zipped up her dress and stared indignantly at her friend, her hands firmly on her hips.

"I never said that," Garcia kindly pointed out, "I said that no mother I know wears underwear like that unless her partner has just bought her some very expensive jewelry."

Grumbling quietly as she stepped into her heels, JJ tried her best to avoid eye contact as she confessed what Garcia had already known. "So, I wanted to look good in case anything happened. Sue me."

Since JJ was doing her best to avoid looking directly as Garcia, she missed the devilish smirk that her friend was currently sporting. "Gonna get a checkup from Dr. Sexy after dinner?" Garcia joked, her eyebrows wiggling suggestively again "Maybe get that Dr. Sexy-itis treated?"

JJ blushed even harder as she smacked her friend in the arm, "Sometimes, I really hate you Pen."

Garcia chuckled, "Please, you would be lost without me." Suddenly her hands clapped together and she looked over JJ's dress and shoes before nodding approvingly. "Now that this crisis has been averted, I'm gonna go make some grub for Henry and you're gonna finished getting ready."

Penelope was already walking out the door when JJ scowled and yelled after her, "There wasn't any crisis to avoid, Penelope!"

JJ continued getting ready, pointedly ignoring the haughty laughter and the muffled "I know, and you're welcome for that," that was coming from the kitchen downstairs.

* * *

Twenty minutes later JJ was walking out the door and heading towards Emily's condo. Her hands were a bit clammy and fidgety but otherwise she was doing pretty well.

When she pulled up to Emily's place, she stepped out of her car, took a deep breath and strolled confidently into the building, refusing to let her nerves show.

She stood outside the door, ran her hands down her dress to smooth out any wrinkles and knocked.

Time seemed to slow as she waited with baited breath for the door to open. What was probably only about thirty seconds felt like hours to her and it took everything in her not to start nervously shuffling while she waited.

Her hand rose to knock again, when suddenly the door swung open to reveal a smiling and absolutely gorgeous looking Emily Prentiss.

She was dressed in a strapless red dress that hugged every curve of her body. Her pale skin seemed to glow and JJ had to remind herself to breathe and not ogle the woman. If she hadn't been nervous before seeing Emily, she certainly was now.

It seemed that no matter what Emily wore, she always looks stunning.

JJ smiled broadly after snapping her open mouth shut, her eyes straining to keep from obviously checking the other woman out again.

While JJ had been appraising the doctor, Emily had been doing the same thing. And she wasn't surprised to see that JJ looked magnificent in her blue dress, not only did it accentuate her wonderful figure but made her blue eyes seem that much deeper.

Outwardly, Emily may not have seemed nervous, but seeing JJ in that dress had her stomach doing somersaults and her head a feeling little dizzy.

"You look…amazing," JJ breathed, not even bothering to hide the fact that she thought Emily looked incredible.

Emily mirrored JJ's smile, "I could say the same thing about you. Jennifer that dress, it was made for you." Her brown eyes looked over the other woman's outfit again, making a show of just how much she enjoyed that outfit on her.

JJ blushed lightly, a shyness overcoming her at the compliment.

"Thanks." She stepped aside and motioned towards the hallway, "Shall we?"

Emily nodded and locked her door before boldly grabbing JJ's hand; walking down the hallway and out the doors.

Both women felt the tiny shock when their hands touched, reveling in the tingles it sent shooting up their arms and the sudden quickening of their hearts.

Their hands only separated once they got to JJ's car, and though neither showed it, they both missed the contact and the familiar warmth it brought with it.

* * *

They pulled up to the restaurant and walked inside, their hands immediately intertwining as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

After taking their seats and ordering, the Q&A portion of the date started.

"So, you know what I do for a living, what about you?" Emily leaned forward, making JJ the sole focus of her attention.

"I'm the media liaison for the BAU at the FBI." JJ took a sip of her wine and waited for the usual flurry of questions.

Emily's brow furrowed for a moment before they widened and she snapped her fingers, "The behavioral analyst's, they profile serial killers, right?"

JJ nodded, "Yeah, they do the profiling while I pick the cases and handle the media during the case."

Emily smiled encouragingly, finding JJ's job so far very fascinating. "So you guys travel all over doing these cases?"

JJ was a little surprised Emily was taking such an interest considering how many others had cringed at the thought of tracking serial killers. "Pretty much, though it's usually only a case per week. The rest of the time it's phone consults and paperwork." The blonde shrugged as she took another sip of wine.

"When I was in college I had thought about joining the FBI, maybe even doing some undercover stuff." Emily shook her head ruefully, a shadow of something flashing in her eyes before disappearing completely. "Things didn't exactly work out. By then I was already well on my way to becoming a Pediatrician."

JJ looked at her quizzically, "What made you want to be a pediatrician?"

Emily opened her mouth to respond when they were interrupted by the waiter and their food. Once the server had gone, Emily responded, "I wanted to feel like I was doing some good. Plus, I've always loved kids, so it just made sense to become a pediatrician."

JJ smiled and laughed lightly, "I would hope you like kids, because, as you know I have a son, otherwise this could get a little awkward." It was meant to be a joke but the undertone of seriousness in it made Emily pause and reconsider her next words.

She reached across the table and placed her hand on top of JJ's, a sign of comfort as she put as much conviction into her words as possible. "Jennifer, I know that you have a son and while I don't know all of the details, you can rest assured that that part of your life isn't going to send me running for the hills." Emily looked her straight in the eye, a smile pulling at her lips, "Now, if you were a mother _and_ a serial killer, then I might have to break things off."

"Really?" JJ asked incredulously, "Serial killer is where you draw the line?"

Emily just shrugged and smirked, "Gotta draw it somewhere."

JJ laughed and shook her head, "I guess I'm safe then, considering I'm just a stalker."

Emily smirked "I knew it! Henry isn't even your son, is he? You probably hired him to pretend to be your son so we could run into each other at the park and my office." She smiled victoriously, her chocolate brown eyes shining with amusement.

JJ threw her hands in the air and huffed dramatically, "This is what I get for trying to trick a doctor. I should've known you would foil my plans."

Emily and JJ laughed together, enjoying the comfortable atmosphere they had created.

As they ate, they continued to get to know one another, talking about their jobs, hobbies, and even swapping the occasional dating horror story.

When dinner was finished, they linked hands again and instead of going back to the car, they walked down the street to the park where they had first run into one another.

"Did you grow up here?" JJ asked out of the blue as they ambled down the graveled path, past the jungle gym.

Emily shook her head, "No, I moved around a lot as a kid. I spent most of my childhood in various parts of Europe."

JJ's eyes widened as she allowed that information to sink in, when Emily saw her reaction she chuckled quietly, "My mother is an ambassador so it meant we spent a lot of time moving around abroad." She shrugged as though it weren't a big deal, though JJ could see beneath the lackadaisical front Emily was putting up.

"It must have sucked having to move so often, but at least you got to see and experience Europe. It's much better than growing up in a little nowhere town like me." JJ bumped their shoulders together as they wandered further into the park.

Emily cracked a smile, "I think I'd rather have had the nowhere town instead. The most I got out of my childhood was a plethora of languages and European customs." She ran a hand through her hair and suddenly her whole face lit up with a dazzling smile, "Besides, I'm sure you were popular in your hometown. I doubt you could go anywhere without knowing every person you saw."

JJ blushed lightly but didn't deny it. "I'm not sure if it's sadder that that's true or that I'm a little proud of that."

Emily swung their intertwined hands, "I think it's nice," she said softly, her voice sounding almost wistful.

They continued to walk through the park until they ended back up at the jungle gym, where they sat down side by side on the swings.

"I'm glad you called," Emily finally said, her eyes focused on the blonde woman next to her.

"Me too," JJ said quietly, feeling as though the other woman's gaze was slowly pulling her in, like a tractor beam.

She was surprised to notice that she was slowly leaning closer to the other woman, their faces getting closer and closer until they were almost touching.

JJ's eyes darted down towards Emily's inviting lips and just as she was about to close the distance, her phone started to ring.

The media liaison had to resist the urge to slam her phone into the ground or shoot it for interrupting what would have been a very magical moment. She pulled the offending object from her purse and glared menacingly at it before answering.

"Jareau," she said in a clipped tone, making her displeasure well known.

"We've got a case." Hotch's voice responded, showing no reaction to her sour attitude.

JJ rolled her eyes at the terrible timing and pinched the bridge of her nose, "But I didn't schedule any cases," '_because I have a hot date,_' she added mentally.

"This one came straight to me. How soon can you get here?" He answered, making the importance of the case known with that little bit of information.

She sighed and looked down at her outfit, knowing she would have to go home and change before coming in. "Alright, I can be there in…" she glanced at her watch, "about twenty minutes."

"Be ready to go, we don't have time to waste on this one." Hotch didn't wait for a reply as he hung up, most likely to get in contact with the rest of the team.

She looked over at Emily and saw that she was biting her lip to stifle a laugh.

"Work?" Emily asked, her voice sounding far too amused for JJ's taste.

"Yeah," the blonde replied sadly, "I guess we have to cut our date short. I need to go home and change before going back into the office." JJ was not pleased with the turn of events. She was supposed to have the day off and enjoying her date with the woman who had been haunting her since she first saw her.

Emily placed her hand on top of JJ's, "Hey, it's no big deal. You'll just owe me another date," she smiled broadly and JJ couldn't help but smile back.

"Well, this one _did _get interrupted so it seems only fair…" They both got up off the swings and started walking back towards the park entrance.

"You know, I could call a cab to come get me. We don't exactly live near each other and there's no way you'll be able to change and be there in twenty minutes if you have to drop me off at home." Emily pointed out.

JJ shook her head, "No, I couldn't do that to you Em. I picked you up and I'll drop you off."

Emily shook her head, "Seriously, it's not a problem. Besides, I already called for a cab; it should be here in about five minutes."

"How did you get a cab without me knowing?" JJ hadn't even seen Emily on her phone.

"There's an app for that," she said cheekily.

* * *

JJ stood with Emily outside while they waited for the cab to pull up, figuring it was the least she could do seeing as how it was her fault their date and subsequently their kiss got cut short.

As the blonde stood there, she made sure to find a way to give Hotch hell for his terribly timed phone call.

Just as she started to think of ways to torture him, the cab pulled up and she reluctantly watched Emily start to walk towards it.

"So, date number two?" JJ asked, needing to confirm that there would, in fact, be a second date.

Emily held up a finger to the cabbie, asking for a minute before walking back over to JJ. "There will most definitely be a second date, and probably a third one too, and this…"

JJ didn't even have a chance to comprehend what the last part of Emily's sentence meant because the other woman placed her hands on either side of JJ's face and closed the distance.

Their lips met and everything around them faded into the background. A shock rippled through their bodies as their lips collided; JJ's hands wound themselves in Emily's hair, pulling the doctor infinitesimally closer.

At some point, JJ's eyes had slid closed and she couldn't focus on anything other than the woman she was holding onto for dear life, feeling as though if she let go she would either melt into a puddle of goo or float off into the air.

When they broke apart, both women had smiles on their faces and a faint blush. "Goodnight, Jennifer," Emily husked, before pressing their lips together once more for a chaste kiss.

JJ stood there, her brain momentarily overloaded. "Bye," she squeaked; watching as Emily climbed into the cab and disappeared down the street.

As the blonde walked back to her car, her fingers pressed to her still tingling lips, needing to confirm that what she just experienced really did happen.

Once she was safely inside of her car, her hands gripped the steering wheel and she couldn't help the giddy excitement that flooded her system. She would definitely be getting excited about this later, but for now, she had a work to do. And she knew she wouldn't be able to fully appreciate what just happened until this case was over and done with.


	5. Chapter 5

For five days JJ and the team were stuck in Florida, the team was busy tracking down the serial killer and JJ was busy writing up press releases and dealing with the incompetence of one officer and the circus that was the media.

The jet ride back home was spent decompressing as she stared blankly out the window. She forced her mind to push the recent case to the back as she remembered her last moments before rushing home and then back to the office.

An involuntary smile worked its way to her lips as she thought about her kiss with Emily and their date.

It wasn't that JJ hadn't had plenty of memorable dates it was just that there was something about the enigmatic Emily Prentiss that seemed to draw her in. Maybe that was why she had been so enamored by her in the first place. Emily was gorgeous, smart, funny and had a certain shroud of mystery that seemed to surround her at all times. She could easily see herself getting lost in those soulful deep brown eyes and breaking through the well-crafted wall that the brunette had built around herself.

Whatever it was that brought JJ to Emily like a moth to a flame, she wasn't going to question it; she was just going to enjoy it.

When the jet touched down, JJ was the first one off and on her way to get her son. It was after 11 p.m. but she just wanted to get Henry tucked in and crash. This case had been a tough one, not particularly more gruesome than the others but it was stressful and it seemed like every chance the officers got to make her job more difficult, they took it.

As the media liaison, it was her job to keep the media at bay and as was standard, she made sure to let all of the officers know they were under no circumstances to speak to the press.

But, as per usual, there is always that lone officer who hopes that by leaking a few details of the case he or she can get a few minutes of fame and bring the killer in themselves. Most of the time, JJ can use a vaguely threatening tone when explaining why speaking to the media is a bad idea and have it work. Of course, not every person cares enough to listen and on occasion she is forced to do damage control.

This case was one of those occurrences.

One of the rookie officers, desperate to make a name for himself, blabbed to a reporter and the proverbial shit had hit the fan. And JJ, being the media liaison, was forced to clean up the mess.

It wasn't pleasant and it kept her busy pretty much the entire time she was there. If she wasn't writing a press release then she was fielding phone calls and when she wasn't doing either of those two she was checking to make sure no more officers leaked information on the case.

To say JJ was elated when the case was over would be an understatement. She felt dead on her feet and knew the moment her head hit the pillow she would be out for at least half the day.

Once Henry was picked up and she promised her parents that she would be in touch soon, she was on her way home and hopefully, on her way to a good night's sleep.

* * *

JJ wasn't sure how long she had been asleep but she knew it was nowhere near long enough. Her eyes snapped open and immediately slammed shut again when the sunlight filtering in through her open blinds hit her eyes.

The blonde slammed the pillow over her face and tried to will herself back into her dream, but it was to no avail. Suddenly, the bed shook and JJ couldn't stop the groan she muffled into her pillow; knowing that now that Henry was awake and jumping around on her bed that she wasn't going to be getting anymore sleep.

In a last ditch effort to sleep some more, she forced her body to still as she feigned sleep. Wondering if she remained still long enough if Henry go back to sleep too. JJ knew it was a ridiculous plan but she was willing to at least try.

Henry seemed to buy it for a moment, his hand hesitantly shaking JJ's limp leg while whispering "Momma?"

A beat of silence passed before Henry gave up all attempts and subtlety and started to shake his mother harder, his voice growing in volume as his did so. "Momma! Get Up!"

Once again, JJ groaned into her pillow, mentally chanting, '_He is your son, you love him with all your heart. He is your bundle of joy even though he's ruining your planned eight hours of sleep._ _I will remember this moment and seek revenge when he is a teenager._'

She sighed and tossed the pillow from her face and managed a smile at her jubilant son.

Upon seeing his mothers face, Henry threw himself at her and hugged her as tightly as he could manage. It was in that moment that JJ's annoyance at lack of sleep crumbled to the ground, it seemed her son had missed her as much as she had missed him.

"Hungry?" JJ asked Henry as she ran her hands through his shaggy blonde hair, a feeble attempt at taming it.

Henry nodded enthusiastically as he pulled her hand and crawled off of the bed.

Yawning quietly, she glanced at her overly peppy son, "How about you go get ready and then we'll head downstairs and make some pancakes, sound good?"

Henry, again, nodded as he ran out of the room. The blonde shook her head to clear the morning fog that had settled within it before going about her morning routine and getting ready for a full day with her son. It wasn't often she got a Friday off but with the case taking so long and the number of man-hours that went into it, it was a given that the team deserved an early weekend.

JJ was more than willing to accept the gracious offer.

After showering and getting dressed she grabbed Henry and they both went downstairs to make some breakfast. Unfortunately, when JJ opened her fridge she quickly realized that there wasn't much in there and what was in there, was questionable at best on its quality of freshness.

Cringing at how lax she had gotten on her grocery shopping she closed the door and looked to her son, "How about we go out to eat?"

"Okay," Henry's little shoulders bobbed as he grabbed his mother's.

JJ grabbed her things and mentally prepared for a long day, she just hoped that by taking Henry to their favorite diner that he wouldn't put up too much of a fuss when they had to stop and do some shopping.

* * *

After eating and listening to what Henry had been up to while she was away, they went about grocery shopping. It wasn't something either of them liked doing but it needed to get done.

JJ grabbed a cart and started to wander down the aisles, grabbing the things they needed. It seemed that Henry wouldn't be as fussy as she thought; he seemed to think that this was the opportunity to not so sneakily place food into the cart.

She shook her head, slightly amused at how crafty he thought he was being. As though she wouldn't notice two bags of candy, a box of cookies and what she supposed was meant to be cereal but seemed more like sugar in the shape of letters in the cart.

Filtering out the junk food as she moved down the aisle, she failed to notice the cart that was turning the corner and heading straight towards her.

JJ's head snapped up when the carts collided into one another, her hand automatically grabbing Henry's to keep him from wandering around.

"Sorry about that," a silky smooth voice said, instantly making JJ's eyes widen.

"Emily?" JJ asked, resisting the urge to rub her eyes and verify that the brunette was indeed standing before her.

Emily, for her part, smiled widely before glancing at JJ's cart then to Henry. "The one and only." She smirked at how often they seemed to run into one another. It seemed to Emily that the forces that be were trying to send them a message.

JJ returned the smile and quirked an eyebrow, "Now who's stalking whom?"

"I believe I was here first, and besides that, this store isn't even near your home." Emily pointed out happily, "So, it's still you stalking me."

Their somewhat long running joke was cut short as Henry pulled on his mother's hand, "Hi, Em'ly." he said shyly, his blue eyes gazing at the doctor who he had seen only a week ago.

JJ and Emily were both shocked to see that Henry had remembered who she was let alone her name, though JJ wasn't nearly as shocked as Emily was.

After the shock passed through her, Emily quickly gathered her wits and smiled politely at the boy, "Hi Henry." She bent down and held out a hand for him to shake, which after a second of hesitation, he did. "Are you having fun shopping with your mom?" She asked, having noticed the box of cookies JJ was placing back on the shelf when their carts crashed.

Henry nodded enthusiastically, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he peered at the cart, "Yeah, lots."

JJ stood by and watched the interaction, still a little bewildered that her son remembered the brunette at all. It wasn't that he was forgetful but with his short attention span he didn't usually latch on to people so quickly.

She liked Emily, there was no denying that. She was even willing to admit that she liked her from the moment they first met; the date just sealed the deal for her. But that didn't mean she was entirely comfortable having Henry meet her so soon.

Usually, she would wait until things were a bit more stable and she was sure that the relationship was promising. It was a precaution she took not only for Henry but for herself as well. JJ didn't want to have a parade of people waltzing in and out of his life because she was rushing into things by introducing him to her dates, not that she had been dating much lately.

The only consolation she could find in this impromptu meeting was that Emily wasn't just someone who would disappear from Henry's life. She was his doctor after all so that at least appeased some of her uneasiness, and it must have been a good sign if Henry liked her enough to remember who she was.

Henry tugged his mother's hand again to gain her attention, "Yes Henry?" She asked, not realizing that Emily and her son had been having a conversation the entire time she was mulling things over in her head.

"It's doctor Em'ly," he pointed towards Emily, as though JJ didn't know who the woman was.

"I see that Henry." She smiled at how strangely her son was acting before looking at the woman in question.

Emily was looking at her phone, her brow furrowed as she quickly typed out a message. JJ took the moment to stare unabashedly at the doctor. Noticing the crisp white button up shirt and tight jeans that showed the liaison just how in shape the other woman was. JJ was sure this woman could wear a burlap sack and make it look like a fashion sensation.

The air of confidence and poise that surrounded Emily made her seem all that more attractive to JJ. It was probably that very thing that made her seem so irresistible in something as simple as a button up shirt and jeans.

Emily slid her phone into her back pocket, a little disappointed that she wouldn't be able to talk to JJ or Henry any longer. Though she figured it might be for the best considering how worried JJ had looked when Henry recognized her.

The brunette glanced at Henry then at JJ, "Sorry to cut this run in short but I have to go." She knelt down and smiled softly at Henry, "It was nice seeing you again Henry, and I'm glad you're feeling better."

Henry smiled shyly again, his foot scuffing the ground "Bye Em'ly," he muttered quietly.

Emily couldn't help but wonder why the little boy seemed so shy but that was quickly thrown out of her head when she saw how absolutely adorable he looked. She could easily imagine him being a heartbreaker when he got older.

JJ smiled slightly, unable to completely hide her disappointment in what little time she had spent with Emily. "You have to go?" She asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"Yeah, the doctor who was supposed to be filling in for me today cancelled and now I have to go in." JJ watched as Emily shook her head sadly, "So much for a day off, huh?"

Emily ran her hand through her hair, "Oh well, I guess it's for the best. Doctor Rodriguez tends to scare the kids. I think it's his smile." An involuntary shiver made its way down her spine as she imagined the crotchety sixty year old man forcing a smile which usually turned into a pained grimace. "It's pretty scary." After a moment, Emily squinted and tilted her head in thought, "I'm actually not sure why I keep asking him to fill in for me."

The brunette made a mental note to find a different doctor, preferably one who didn't scare the patients; there was no need to torture the sick kids with a scary and often grumpy doctor, that would be just plain cruel.

While Emily mulled that over, JJ watched her with amusement and fascination, torn between laughing at the monologue the woman had just given and kissing her senseless because of how cute the whole thing was.

"I should probably go pay for these, but it was nice running into you two." Emily finally pulled herself from her thoughts and started to head towards the registers, knowing she would barely have enough time to go home and drop her things off before going into work.

JJ muttered a weak, "Bye," and watched the other woman walk away. She lasted about two seconds before she was walking briskly down the aisle and grabbing Emily's arm to stop her. Acting on pure impulse, which she seemed to do a lot whenever she was around the brunette, she blurted out, "Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?"

Emily hid her shock well as she stared at JJ, unsure of how to take this offer. She couldn't deny that another date wasn't something that had been on her mind since they parted last time but this felt like a big step and considering how this was only their second date she wasn't sure how good of an idea it was.

Sure, she liked Henry and was looking forward to getting to know him better but it didn't seem feasible to sit down for dinner with JJ and her son so soon.

JJ, seeing the hesitation on the other woman's face started to get nervous and was tempted to backpedal and take back her offer.

Emily was tired of playing things safe, she had been doing that most of her life and figured it was time for a change. This was the third time she had run into Jennifer Jareau and she was deciding to take that as a sign from the Universe. Normally, she wasn't one to follow those sorts of things but when the world continued to present this beautiful blonde woman to her, she couldn't really ignore it.

Throwing caution to the wind, she offered a genuine smile, "I'd love to."

Jennifer breathed out a sigh of relief as the tension drained from her body, "How does six sound?"

"Six sounds great, Jennifer. I'll see you then." Emily glanced over JJ's shoulder, upon seeing Henry preoccupied with slipping the box of cookies JJ had taken out of the cart earlier, back in, she leaned forward and placed a kiss on JJ's cheek. "Bye." She whispered, her eyes twinkling with glee at the reaction she seemed to elicit from the blonde woman.

JJ blinked once, then twice, before smiling widely and turning back towards her son. Her cheek tingled where Emily's lips had touched it and she hoped that feeling never went away. The cookies and other junk food Henry had slipped into the cart were quickly forgotten as JJ thought about her dinner plans.

It seemed that Emily was pushing all of JJ's boundaries and the blonde couldn't bring herself to care about it, not when she was left feeling so complete and happy. Judging from her son's reaction to the other woman, she had a feeling he was drawn to the doctor as well.

"Looks like we're having company tonight, Henry." She glanced at her son who smiled happily at his mother.

* * *

Once JJ and Henry had gotten back from their shopping trip they went their separate ways.

JJ immediately started putting the food away while Henry took off up the stairs to play with his toys.

As she put the food away she wondered what she could make for dinner. It was still fairly early in the day and she had plenty of time to decide what she would make but if left to her own devices she would spend all afternoon wracking her brain.

When the last item of food was put away she walked upstairs to check on her son before picking up the phone and calling Penelope, hoping for a distraction that she was sure her bubbly friend could provide.

She didn't need any assurances or a confidant but JJ figured that if she didn't call and give Garcia some sort of update then come Monday she would be in for it.

The line rang once before Penelope's overly hyper voice chimed through the speaker. "Omnipotent goddess of love and knowledge; what can I do for ya?"

As often as she heard these ridiculous and Garcia-unique openers JJ didn't think she would ever truly get used to them. "Hey Pen," she greeted, knowing Penelope would probably carry the conversation for the next five minutes.

"Ooh, Jayje! We have so much catching up to do! Why did you wait so long to call me? Are you free tonight? We can do drinks and have a girl's night, that way you can tell me all about your date with Dr. Sexy and I can get all the juicy details I probably wouldn't get over the phone!"

Just as JJ thought, Garcia continued to ramble excitedly for the next few minutes and only stopped to scold JJ for not responding quickly enough.

Preparing to pull the phone away from her ear once the next sentence left her mouth, she took a deep breath, "I can't do drinks tonight, Emily is coming over for dinner."

The phone was moved just in time for Garcia to shout "Oh my god, I knew it!"

JJ stifled her laughter at her friend's antics and waited patiently for the other woman to calm down. It didn't cease to amuse her that Penelope got just as excited, if not more, than JJ about these dates and encounters. She should probably be a little worried about that but it was such a Garcia thing to do that she couldn't bring herself to really harp on it.

"Take a breath Pen, it's just dinner." JJ tried to assuage her overly hyper friend.

Penelope took several breathes before the questions started zooming through her mind. It was a struggle to keep from firing one after another at the liaison. "You called and asked her out again?"

Before JJ could answer, Penelope cut her off, "Wait, scratch that! Tell me about your first date! Ooh, was it romantic? Was it like in the movies? I bet it was romantic." Garcia sounded a little dreamy by the time she finished her questions and comments.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, JJ decided to give Penelope the cliff notes version. "We went out to eat and then took a walk in the park." JJ tried to sound as nonchalant about the whole thing as possible, despite the fact that inside she was still far too jubilant about it all.

Garcia huffed loudly into the phone, showing just how little she appreciated the abridged version of the story. "You should know better than to try and get that past me, Sweetie. I want details and lots of them."

"That was basically all that happened Pen. We had the usual first date conversation. We talked about our pasts, our jobs; we even shared a few funny stories. Although..." JJ trailed off, knowing it would infuriate Pen to be kept hanging.

"What?" Garcia practically screeched into the phone, the anticipation already killing her.

JJ shrugged even though the other woman couldn't see her, "I made a joke about having a kid, I don't know exactly what I said but all of a sudden she got really serious and reached across the table and grabbed my hand."

"Oh sweetie," Garcia said sadly, already fearing the worst.

JJ ignored her and continued, "And she looked me right in the eye and told me that while she doesn't know my history or what the story behind Henry is, it's going to take a lot more than that to chase her away." JJ smiled wistfully, "Can you believe that? She doesn't care, and she said it with so much conviction that I couldn't help but believe her." JJ was gushing and she didn't even care. The look in Emily's deep brown eyes as she said those words was stuck in her head.

"I think I'm a little jealous," Penelope finally said; a smile on her face as she listened to her blonde friend revert to teenage fangirl gushing.

"And when we finished dinner and went to the park, there was this moment when we were sitting on the swings and she leaned in and I leaned in..." JJ was having too much fun building the suspense and she knew Garcia was eating it up. It probably wasn't a good idea to tease someone who could wipe you from existence with just the push of a button but JJ never had the opportunity so she was going to milk it for all it was worth.

Garcia let out a high pitched "Oh my god!"

"And then Hotch called." JJ said flatly, knowing it would enrage her friend just as much as it had her.

"Bossman did what?!" Garcia shouted into the phone, feeling like she was watching a soap opera. JJ was taking too much joy in messing with her emotions and Garcia was helpless to ride the emotional rollercoaster the liaison had her on.

"We were about to kiss and his call squashed that moment. Totally ruined the mood." JJ smirked, knowing that Garcia was going nuts with how the story was going so far. "With the case being so important we ended up cutting the date short. She took a cab home and I went home to change and get my things."

Garcia growled into the phone, not liking that JJ had her moment ruined. "That's it, Bossman's credit score is about to take a serious nosedive."

JJ chuckled quietly, knowing that Penelope would probably follow through on the threat despite the fact that she would be doing it to her boss.

Deciding to keep the tech analyst from getting herself fired and/or arrested, she quickly said, "Oh, and just before she left, she walked up to me, guaranteed me a second and third date, grabbed my face in her hands and kissed me."

JJ waited, mentally counting down from three and just as she got to zero, her friend squealed in delight. This time it was Penelope's turn to act like a gushing high school fangirl.

"She kissed you? Oh my god, that sounds so romantic! Was it good? Was she a good kisser? I bet she was a good kisser. "

"Woah, calm down Pen!" JJ's shoulders shook as she tried to contain her laughter, "I'm not the type to kiss and tell." JJ knew that was a boldfaced lie; she had discussed kissing quite a bit with Garcia.

"Oh please, Sweetie. You and I both know you've never hesitated to dish on kissing before. So either it was really good or it was really bad." Garcia mused, knowing that this was the only way to get JJ to spill the beans. It was a cheap shot but if she was going to get the dirty details she was going to have to play a little dirty.

As sneaky as Penelope thought she was being the media liaison knew exactly what her friend was doing; she was trying to goad her into getting worked up and blabbing. JJ wasn't falling for it. "Not gonna happen Garcia."

"Drats! Well, it was worth a shot." The tech analyst was willing to concede for the moment but come Monday, JJ wasn't going to get out of answering. Garcia knew she was much more effective in person than on the phone. She would wait and when JJ least suspected it; she would pounce and pull every bit of information from her.

JJ already suspected that her friend would corner her on Monday and try to get the details then and as strong as she could be on the phone she knew in person, she stood no chance against Penelope Garcia.

"I've gotta go, Pen. I just wanted to call and fill you in before you just showed up and hounded me for answers." JJ was already glancing at her wardrobe, deciding to do a casual look instead of dressing up.

"Ooh, that's right. You're blowing me off for Dr. Sexy tonight," Garcia teased playfully. "I swear, you get a girlfriend and suddenly you don't have any time for your best friend."

JJ scoffed,"We both know you would never let that happen." Garcia's laughter was her only response. "Goodbye Pen," JJ said pointedly before hanging up and glancing at the clock.

Now that she was looking forward to 6 o'clock it seemed that time was crawling by. JJ figured if time was going to continue to pass at an alarmingly slow rate then she would try and sneak in a nap and catch up on the sleep that had been snatched so cruelly from her earlier that morning.

Checking in on Henry, she saw that he had the same idea as her and was napping peacefully on his bed, his favorite action figure clutched tightly in his hands. She pulled the blanket over him before crawling into her own bed and setting the alarm.

She doubted she would need it but it was better to be safe than sorry.

As the blonde slept, the time that had seemed to trickle by was now flying and she was none the wiser. JJ hadn't thought she was all that tired but she had been right when she said once her head hit the pillow she would be dead to the world.

Her alarm buzzed and a tanned hand absently slammed down on the off button. JJ rolled over in bed and buried her head in the pillow, welcoming the warm embrace of some much needed sleep, blissfully unaware of how quickly the time was passing and how late it was getting.

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing and following this story, you have no idea how happy it makes me to know that you're all enjoying the story as much as I am. ****  
Feel free to leave a review with your thoughts or things you'd like to see happen. **  
**Next update should be within the next two days. **

**Hope you all are having a great weekend! **


	6. Chapter 6

Emily stood outside of JJ's door, her hand gripping a bouquet of flowers as she knocked on the door. Her brown eyes darted down towards her black slacks, white button down shirt and black suit jacket. She frowned and wished she had had enough time to go home and change before coming here.

She sighed and knocked on the door again before glancing at her watch to make sure she had the right time; it was six o'clock on the dot. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the address and pulled out her phone to check that she was at the right address; she was.

Her feet shuffled on the mat as she waited for JJ to answer the door.

* * *

Inside, JJ was sound asleep. Her body and brain had decided to make up for the sleep she had missed whether the blonde wanted to or not.

As she rolled over to snuggle further into the pillows, a loud thumping sound caused her to sit bolt upright in her bed. She waited a moment to see if she had actually heard the noise or just imagined it; after a few seconds the thumping resumed.

It sounded like it was coming from the front door but she wasn't expecting anyone until later and even then, Emily wouldn't be arriving until six.

The blonde frowned before looking at the clock and nearly falling off the bed. The time glowed brightly in the dark room, the number 6:00 taunting her as she realized she had slept through her alarm.

Rolling out of bed and quickly changing out of her wrinkled clothes and into a pair of jeans and a clean black button down shirt, she rushed towards the front door, hoping Emily hadn't left yet.

Her feet tripped on air twice as she scrambled to get to the door, the knocking having long since ended.

Emily raised her hand one last time to knock before JJ swung the door open, an apologetic smile on her lips as she ushered the brunette inside.

"Sorry it took so long," she breathed, still trying to wrap her head around how long she had slept.

Emily stifled her laughter at the blonde's appearance, noting that she had missed a button on her shirt and was sporting a serious case of bed head. She handed over the bouquet of flowers, "Are you sure you're up for dinner tonight? We could always do this another time." The brunette offered, easily guessing she had interrupted JJ's sleep.

The blonde grabbed the flowers and smiled, "No, it's fine, I'm just running a bit behind." JJ bit her lip at how true that statement was before placing the flowers in a vase and water, "The flowers are beautiful Em, thank you."

Emily smiled but still wasn't convinced that JJ was up for a date, especially considering how tired she had looked when they saw each other earlier. "Did I interrupt something?" Emily asked, a little transfixed by the state the blonde was in.

A clump of blonde hair was sticking straight up and Emily was having a very hard time not laughing at it. That wasn't to say she didn't think JJ looked absolutely adorable and gorgeous with her sleepy look and mussed up hair.

JJ shook her head vehemently, "No, I just didn't hear the door," the blonde lied, not wanting to admit she had fallen asleep and missed her alarm.

Emily leaned casually against the wall, her hip cocked to the side as she stared at the blonde with amused eyes, "Are you sure? Because you look like you just rolled out of bed."

Blue eyes widened as she turned to stare at the brunette, not entirely sure why the other woman noticing that had her surprised. "Uh…" JJ responded dumbly, her brain still a little sleep fogged.

The doctor just pointed her finger at the button JJ had missed and then moved to point towards her hair, "You missed a button and you have bed head." She helpfully pointed out, but once she saw JJ's embarrassed look, she quickly added, "Not that it isn't very beautiful bed head. Looks great on you actually, I'm a little jealous in fact."

The embarrassed look on JJ's face quickly faded as she watched the doctor uncharacteristically fumble around in an attempt to turn around her comments. JJ blushed and pulled out a few pamphlets for takeout, "Alright, you caught me." The blonde admitted, a sheepish smile tugging at her lips, "I laid down earlier but I guess I must have slept through my alarm."

Emily shrugged, "Happens to the best of us. Besides, with your job, I can imagine sleep is something you don't always get enough of." In actuality, Emily found the whole situation to be quite humorous but she wasn't going to show the blonde that. She didn't think it would go over all that well but if things lasted, it would certainly make for a great story.

"I'm gonna go fix this," JJ's finger pointed towards her messy hair, "and you can order the food?" She asked, already handing over the takeout menu.

Emily grabbed the paper and nodded, "Yes Ma'm."

JJ just shook her head and rushed towards the bathroom to assess the damage.

The moment her eyes landed on her reflection her hand shot towards her mouth to muffle the embarrassed gasp that was about to escape. "Oh my god," she muttered, her hand moving to smooth down the tangled clump of hair.

Grabbing a brush she quickly tried to tame the monster that was her hair. Unfortunately it seemed the more she brushed it the more wild it seemed to get. JJ grunted in frustration before settling for just putting it in a ponytail and leaving it be.

Next thing she did was rebutton her shirt, noticing that Emily had been right and she had somehow managed to miss a button.

So far, things were not off to a great start and the blonde couldn't help but wonder if this was setting the pace for the rest of the evening.

Once she looked presentable, she reluctantly left the safety of her bedroom and wandered down the hall to check on Henry. She poked her head into his room, and smiled when she saw him playing with his toy cars.

"Emily's here, Henry, do you want to come and say hello?"

The little boy hopped up from his spot on the ground and immediately grabbed his mother's hand while his head bobbed up and down enthusiastically. "Em'ly's here?" His suddenly soft voice asked as he followed his mother down the hallway and down the stairs.

JJ glanced at her son, still not fully understanding why he seemed to be so infatuated with his doctor seeing as how he had only met her twice before today.

And once JJ started to think that she felt the small wave of hypocrisy hit her, seeing as how she felt the exact same when after meeting the woman only once. '_Like mother like son_' she thought humorously.

Emily was just hanging up the phone when she turned around and saw JJ, no longer sporting the adorable bed head, and Henry.

Seeing them made that small bubble of insecurity that had been lingering beneath the surface start to burst. Emily hadn't had the best track record when it came to relationships; most of the time they consisted of one night stands and a five date maximum.

And here she was, knowingly entering into a relationship with a single mother and it brought all of Emily's fears to the forefront. Her own childhood was questionable at best; her mother wasn't abusive by any means but that didn't mean the brunette didn't walk away from it without scars.

Now that she was with someone who already had a child, she wondered if she was capable of offering not only Henry but JJ as well, the affection and love they deserved. She didn't have any happy memories to go on; she'd been an adult since she was a little girl.

The down spiral her thoughts had taken were shattered when she saw Henry approach her and offer that same adorably shy smile he had when she'd seen her earlier. That smile pushed her fears and doubts to the back of her mind but she could still hear the whispers murmuring in her ear.

"Hiya Henry," she crouched down and offered him a smile.

The little boy smiled back, his blue eyes shining as he responded, "Hi Em'ly." His hand reached out and grabbed hers before tugging her towards the stairs and eventually towards his room.

Emily stared a little wide eyed at the whole ordeal, unsure of why this little boy was dragging her off. She looked at JJ who just shrugged, as if to say, 'I have no idea why he does the things he does.'

JJ's hand waved tauntingly as she watched the brunette disappear up the stairs and down the hallway.

The blonde already knew her son was going to show off his toys to the doctor; it was his own personal icebreaker.

Whenever he met someone new or took a liking to someone, his first move was always to bring them to his room and show them his toys. She figured now was no different.

Emily sat on Henry's floor, her eyes intently staring at the toys he was parading before her. She listened with growing interest as he babbled on about the different characteristics of the toys and provided his own back stories for them.

On more than one occasion he would go off on some strange tangent but she was enthralled nonetheless. She would never have guessed that the shy little boy she had treated in her office or the boy from the grocery store earlier was the same as the one who sat in front of her now explaining why his Spiderman toy was better than his Hulk toy.

After a little while, Emily looked up to see JJ leaning on the doorframe, a small smile on her face and her eyes twinkling with mirth.

JJ and Emily's eyes met and a silent staring contest ensued until Emily averted her gaze and redirected it towards Henry who was still explaining the different functions of his toys.

"The food is here," JJ finally said, reluctant to break up the moment between Emily and Henry.

Henry didn't need to be told twice and was up on his feet and running down the stairs before Emily or JJ could even blink.

"I think he's hungry," JJ remarked dryly, her eyes following her son as he disappeared down the stairs. When she turned around, she was shocked to see Emily standing only a few inches away from her, their noses nearly touching.

"He's not the only one," the brunette replied huskily, her eyes darting down towards JJ's lips.

JJ was frozen in place, her heart hammering in her chest as the Emily's scent washed over her. It seemed as though her brain had short circuited while her synapses were firing at full capacity. Acting on pure impulse, she closed the distance and pressed their lips together, stifling the small moan that threatened to escape at the contact.

Both women were lost in the sensation, unsure of whether they had been lip locked for mere seconds or minutes but the spell was broken when Henry's voice echoed through the house.

The two women jumped apart, feeling as though they had just been caught doing something they shouldn't have been.

Emily smiled charmingly, her hand motioning towards the doorway, "After you."

"Such a gentleman," the blonde remarked teasingly as she headed towards the kitchen.

* * *

After serving their food, Henry took off towards the living room to watch some cartoons, leaving JJ and Emily alone in the kitchen.

JJ picked at her food, "I'm sorry about earlier. I had every intention of making this…" her hand flailed about as she tried to come up with the right word, "memorable." Her head shook, not really liking her choice of words, "I mean, I wanted this to be special."

The blonde huffed, wishing her words would stop failing her, "Hey, it's okay, I get it." Emily soothed, not really wanting to stop the inane rambling. "Besides, you've still got date three, if that helps."

Emily winked at the other woman before taking a bite of her food, enjoying how domestic this whole date seemed to be.

"What makes you so sure you're going to get a third date?" JJ asked, scoffing lightly at the assumption.

The brunette stared at JJ as though she were crazy then waved a hand up and down her own body, "Jennifer, please. I'm a _doctor_, I speak several languages, I'm worldly and I'm very pleasing to the eye. Who _wouldn't_ want a third date with me?" Emily said it with faux arrogance and a cocky smile on her face.

JJ snorted and clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter, "Do you always save this attitude for the second date?"

This time it was Emily who snorted, "This is what they get on date five, but since you're a bit tougher to crack I figured I could bring it out a little early."

Chuckling at that, JJ looked at her quizzically, "Am I that different from your usual dates?"

Some of the humor drained from Emily as she addressed the blonde's question, "Yes, you are. Very different." And she doubted that JJ would understand just how different she was.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" JJ asked curiously, noting the sentiment in Emily's words.

"A good thing." Emily paused and really looked at the blonde, "Definitely a good thing."

JJ smiled, more than satisfied with the answer.

* * *

At the end of the night after JJ had put Henry to bed she walked Emily to the door, a bit reluctant to end the night.

Emily stood in the open doorway, mirroring JJ's conflict.

"I had a great time tonight. Bed head, misbuttoned shirt, takeout and all." The brunette laughed at the way JJ's nose scrunched up at the mention of her hair and shirt.

"I did that on purpose." JJ defended, her arms crossing indignantly.

"I'm sure you did," Emily teased, not planning on letting the blonde live it down any time soon.

JJ huffed, "If I keep raising the bar on our dates there's no way you would even stand a chance. If you really think about it, I did it for _you_."

The doctor smirked and raised her eyebrow, "Really? How selfless of you."

"One of my many wonderful qualities," JJ said softly, feeling the sudden shift in the air around them.

Brown and blue eyes locked and whatever witty remark Emily was about to make died instantly on her lips.

She leaned forward ever so slightly, and just like all the times before, when their lips met in a fierce kiss a warmth spread through both women; their lips tingling as they collided with one another. Emily's tongue swiped across JJ's lips and she immediately granted the request.

So absorbed in one another, they stood there, exploring one another until a throat clearing caused them to step apart.

JJ's cheeks burned a bright red as she noticed her seventy six year old spinster neighbor staring at her with disapproval.

Emily followed JJ's gaze and couldn't help but glare at the woman, not appreciating the nosy woman breaking up their kiss.

The brunette leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on JJ's lips before pointedly staring at the spinster. After the woman hurried inside, Emily turned her attention back to a still blushing Jennifer Jareau. "I'll call you for that third date."

"I'm looking forward to it," JJ said happily.

Emily offered a small wave before turning and walking towards her car; idly wondering if she would ever be able to kiss JJ without being interrupted. So far, it didn't seem likely, but she was more than up to the challenge.

* * *

**Someone asked about when Emily will be meeting the team, I'm not planning on having that happen for a few more chapters.**  
**However, I do plan to have her run into JJ and Garcia in the next chapter. **


	7. Chapter 7

Emily was beyond drained as she walked into the coffee shop, her eyes lidded as she navigated around the other patrons and walked towards the counter. Most days she had no problem dealing with the tumultuous children who came to see her but today was certainly not one of those days.

She'd woken with a headache that no amount of painkillers could shake and throwing in a bunch of noisy and cranky sick kids along with a night filled with less than pleasant dreams and the doctor was ready to throw in the towel and disappear for a week. Maybe rent a cabin somewhere and take a breather.

It had been a long time since she had felt like she needed to take a break from her life but deep down she knew she would never manage to keep herself away from her work for long enough to actually relax. Her job meant too much to her and even when it was driving her crazy, she still loved her job. She enjoyed feeling like she was giving something back; even if that something was just telling a parent their child had the sniffles or the flu.

Her hand rubbed absently at her temple as she waited in the ever-growing line.

"Of all the days this place decides to be packed," the doctor grumbled to herself, wondering why it was that the hole in the wall coffee place she loved would suddenly become a popular hangout when she needed her caffeine fix.

When she finally reached the register, she sighed in relief at the sight of the usual cashier. "Hey, Emily. The usual?" He asked, his usual friendly smile firmly on his face.

"Hey Joshua, yeah." After only a beat she threw in, "Actually, throw in an extra shot of espresso."

He quirked an eyebrow as he started to make her coffee, "That bad, huh?"

She nodded her head, the abundant smell of coffee slowly reducing her hammering headache. "Yeah, today's just not my day."

They continued to talk for a moment before she paid and grabbed her coffee.

Just as she was making her way towards the doorway, a voice called out to her and she stopped dead in her tracks. "Emily?"

The brunette knew that voice and she instantly whirled around, throwing a smile on her face as she did so. "Hello, Jennifer," she responded, her eyes landing on the blue eyed blonde woman before slowly making their way towards her friend.

Her dress was covered in splotches of color and Emily briefly thought that if any one person could be the definition of eccentric then this woman was it.

"Em, this is my friend Penelope Garcia. Pen, this is Emily Prentiss."

"_This_ is your Emily?" Garcia not so quietly whispered.

JJ nudged her friend in the side but nodded proudly.

Emily stood there a bit awkwardly, wondering if the two blondes knew she could see and hear their conversation.

From the waggling eyebrows and salacious winking from JJ's friend, Penelope, she didn't think the woman cared if she was seen. JJ on the other hand looked torn between being embarrassed and amused.

"Do you want to join us?" JJ asked, motioning to the empty seat next to her.

"Don't be silly, of course she does." Garcia chimed in before Emily could even respond.

Emily glanced down at her watch and realized she didn't have any reason not to join JJ and her friend. She was out on her lunch break and still had another thirty minutes before she needed to get back.

The doctor was leery of Penelope. Not only did the bubbly blonde seem pushy and eccentric but also intuitive.

"Uh, sure. I guess I've got a little while before I need to get back." Emily took a sip of her coffee as she sat down next to JJ, her focus entirely on Penelope, who was watching her like a hawk.

"So, Emily, what are your intentions with my fellow blonde bombshell, Miss Jareau?"

JJ's eyes widened comically while Emily tried to avoid choking on her coffee.

"Excuse me?" Emily asked at the same time JJ scolded the tech analyst, "Pen!"

"Oh calm down JJ, it's a simple question." Garcia turned her focus back on Emily, "Well?"

Glancing between JJ and Penelope she resisted the urge to fake an emergency and leave. The interrogation had only just started and Emily wasn't entirely sure if she was ready for it.

She took a slow and deliberate breath as she calmed her nerves and slipped into her cool, calm and collected professional persona.

Emily took a sip of her coffee and she mulled over her answer, "I'm not interested in casual," her eyes darted over towards JJ before refocusing on Penelope, "but it essentially all boils down to what JJ wants." Emily shrugged casually, her tone making her seem as though she were discussing the news rather than her fledgling relationship. "I'm not the one who has a son to think about. If this ends badly, the worst I end up with is a broken heart. She's got more to lose so it's up to her how this turns out."

Ignoring the pounding in her head, she tried to get the heavy topic dropped. "Besides, isn't it a little early for this line of questioning? I mean, we've only had two dates."

"It's never too early to discuss the future," Garcia said happily, ignoring JJ's kick to her leg.

"So, tell me about yourself Emily." Penelope was trying to sound conversational and Emily almost fell for it, until Garcia added, "Not that there isn't much I don't already know," albeit much more quietly but Emily heard it nonetheless.

On the outside, the brunette was the picture of calm, but inside, inside her heart was hammering and her headache was made worse by the images and memories that flooded her brain.

It was a battle to remain in her seat and not bolt for the door, the need for fresh air suddenly overwhelming her.

"What?" Emily asked, mentally congratulating herself on keeping her voice steady.

"Pen?" JJ asked, her blue eyes locked on her friend with a cold gaze that screamed fury.

Garcia held up her hands in a surrendering manner, "I just meant that JJ hasn't stopped talking about you."

Emily's rigid posture relaxed slightly as she tried to erase the wave of fear that caused her stomach to knot. She forced an amused smirk and tried to mentally regroup. "Jennifer talks about me?"

The deflection worked and Garcia pointedly ignored the murderous look on JJ's face; though the blush on her cheeks detracted from its intensity.

"All the time," Penelope said enthusiastically, "it's always Emily this and Emily that."

"Oh my God, Pen," JJ's head dropped into her hands in embarrassment, her worlds coming out muffled.

Emily resisted the urge to laugh, sensing it would probably not be all that wise of an idea. "What exactly do you say, Jennifer?" The doctor asked, her eyes twinkling with curiosity and glee.

JJ's head slowly lifted from her hands, "Nothing," she said dismissively, not particularly interested in showing Emily just how much gushing she had been doing since they had first met. "Pen, aren't you supposed to be grilling her or something? Why are we talking about me?"

It was dirty move but JJ was more than willing to throw Emily to the wolves, a.k.a Penelope Garcia, if it meant getting the focus off of her and her admittedly girlish crushing.

Penelope just shrugged and got back into interrogation mode. "Oh, that's right!" Her eyes narrowed at Emily, "No distracting me," she chastised, not entirely sure how Emily had managed to turn the focus onto JJ.

The brunette for her part just bobbed her shoulders casually, knowing any other attempts at avoiding this impending inquisition were for naught. "Worth a shot," Emily smirked and twirled her coffee cup around.

"So, a doctor, huh?" Garcia asked, and Emily couldn't help the strange foreboding that seemed to settle around her as she stared at the blonde's shark like grin.

"Yeah," The doctor said slowly.

"Is there a cutoff age for your physical examinations?" Penelope asked flirtatiously, her smile widening as Emily choked a little on her sip of coffee.

JJ chuckled at the reaction and slapped Penelope on the arm lightly.

"No?" Emily responded, not entirely sure how to answer the question and feeling completely off her game no thanks to her hectic morning.

Had she been better caffeinated and headache free, she would have probably been able to come up with a much better response.

"Have you given JJ one of these exams?" Garcia asked cheekily, her eyebrows waggling as she glanced from JJ's blushing face to Emily's suddenly amused one.

"No, not yet. But anytime Jennifer wants to schedule an appointment, I'm more than willing to make the time and clear my schedule." The brunette said just as cheekily and seductive as Garcia had, thoroughly enjoying the way JJ seemed to hunch over in an attempt to hide her beat red cheeks.

"Oh my god," the media liaison muttered, "it seems like introducing you two was a really bad idea."

Garcia waved her hand dismissively at JJ, "Please, I was going to meet her sooner or later." Her attention turned back towards Emily, "I'm glad you aren't as uptight as the last one." She whispered it conspiratorially, despite the fact that JJ would hear her no matter how quietly she whispered it.

JJ's brow furrowed, "Which one was that?"

"You don't remember the name of your last partner?" Emily asked, feigning disapproval, "Exactly, how many dalliances have you had?" Her eyebrow quirked as she stared at JJ, waiting for an answer.

The blonde media liaison's eyes widened before her gaze narrowed and her lips pressed into a tight line, "Whoa!" Her hands both waved in the air, "Wait, dalliances? That makes me sound like I'm willing to date anyone with a pulse."

"Well…" Penelope interjected; her playful smile on full display, completely oblivious to the shocked stare her friend was giving her.

"Sounds like you have quite the reputation, JJ," Emily chided, her eyes sparkling with merriment as she watched a flustered JJ.

"I don't have a reputation." The media liaison replied indignantly, "And I'd still like to know who the uptight one was, Pen."

Garcia tried to stifle her catlike grin, her wand waffling in the air, "I think his name was Mark, maybe Marcus? Either way, he couldn't take a joke," tech analyst turned to look at Emily, "he definitely put a damper on my superbly awesome and happy self."

Emily looked at the analyst for a second, her eyes scrutinizing, "Somehow, I seriously doubt that, Penelope. You don't seem like the type to be stifled."

Penelope smiled broadly, her finger jabbing JJ in the arm, "Ooh, I like her Jayje."

JJ stared at her friend, an incredulous look on her face, "Seriously, Pen? Is that all it takes to get your approval? A compliment?" The blonde shook her head humorously, figuring that was a typical Garcia thing to do.

With a shrug of her shoulders, Penelope just smirked. "What can I say? I like a compliment just as much as the next girl, and clearly, Emily knows a catch when she sees one."

"I know that look in your eye, Pen. No, just…no." JJ shook her head while simultaneously grabbing Emily's arm.

Garcia batted her eyelashes, her face suddenly becoming the picture of innocence. "Why, whatever do you mean JJ?"

"You're going to have to find yourself another sexy doctor because this one is mine," her hand gripped Emily's arm just a little tighter, her blue eyes faux glaring at the analyst.

Garcia threw her hands into the air dramatically, heaving a huge sigh in the process, "Fine, but the next sexy doctor we meet, I'm calling dibs."

Emily watched the whole interaction with a small smile playing at her lips until JJ's words finally sunk into her head. Her head swiveled and looked at JJ, "I'm yours?" Emily would never admit it out loud, especially not in the presence of Penelope, who she was pretty sure would never let either of them forget it, but she found it more than a little captivating to be claimed.

Emily didn't have much experience being an 'us' and certainly never reached the point of belonging exclusively to someone else, but if this was what it felt like, she was really missing out.

JJ's mouth opened and closed while she struggled to clarify what she meant, fearing it was too soon to have the 'relationship talk' but when Garcia gave a gentle nod while her eyes darted towards Emily, she decided now was as good a time as any.

"Only if you want to be." JJ took a deep breath, her mind suddenly on one track as she put as much determination and conviction into her words as possible. "Look, Emily, I'm not really interested in a weird and undefined relationship that's more about sex than actual substance."

Garcia was leaning forward in her seat, as though she were watching the best sitcom or movie in the world, her mind supplying the ridiculous climactic background music as she watched to two talk.

Emily was sitting as still as a statue, not wanting to interrupt what she believed was going to be a very good speech. If JJ hadn't been so focused on calming herself down so her words didn't mash into one long, indecipherable sound, she might have noticed the look in Emily's eyes that assured her she had no interest in their relationship being casual.

"This is probably way too soon and definitely not how I pictured it but, I don't know," her fingers played with the rim of her coffee cup, "I feel like this," her hand waved vaguely between them, "this has the potential to be something great."

Her eyes met Emily's and the look she saw there caused all of her worry and anxiety to crumble to the ground. Emily grabbed her hand and pulled it away from her coffee, "Jennifer, I've already told you that there isn't much you can do that's going to chase me away." The brunette tilted her head to the side, debating her next words, "Okay, sure, it _is_ a little soon for this talk but with our jobs, especially yours; I guess you don't have much time for uncertainty."

The doctor chewed her thumbnail, feeling the weight of the newfound commitment on her shoulders. Her mind warred with her heart for just the briefest of moments, her mind telling her that she would only disappoint the other woman. Emily had spent so much time boxing off her emotions and pretending like things didn't get to her that she wasn't completely sure that she could offer JJ what she really wanted. Up until this point, Emily had avoided commitment like the plague and old habits die hard, so she wondered if she was capable of that much change.

Her heart, however, was screaming at her to dive in head first. The doctor had deprived herself of a real connection for so long that the prospect of being with someone as great as JJ had her heart hammering in her chest. She had run from happiness because her life was empty; she could up and disappear and no one would be the wiser. Her own mother didn't even care when she vanished from the face of the Earth and if her own mother couldn't care, her own flesh and blood, why would someone else?

It was irrational and ridiculous but Emily had long since learned that relying on others only got you burned and abandoned so she learned to cut and run before it got that serious. But, looking into JJ's deep blue eyes, she was willing to take the plunge and hand over a piece of her she had long ago locked up.

With a fierce determination, more for herself than JJ, she ignored her mind's protests, "If you want to us to be exclusive and official, just say the word." She cursed her voice for cracking the tiniest bit but she had gotten the words out and now it was up to JJ to decide what she wanted.

Though if her previous comments were anything to go by, there wasn't much doubt to what JJ wanted.

The media liaison stared at Emily, wondering why a woman, who seemed so great and damn near perfect, could still be single. She doubted that her dating preferences factored into things that much, Emily had a great job and appeared to be more than open to a long lasting relationship, so the question of why she _hadn't_ been snatched up continued to nag her.

Of course, JJ wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. If no one else had discovered the sexy mysterious doctor then tough for them because JJ wasn't about to just send her packing.

The media liaison must have been trapped in her head for too long because a sugar packet smacked her in the side of the face and Penelope's voice drew her from her musings. "Don't leave us hanging! Answer the woman, already!"

"Jeez, Pen, calm down." JJ told her before turning her attention back towards her soon-to-be official girlfriend. "And as for you, I think you already know my answer."

Emily just smirked and leaned back in her chair, her brown eyes twinkling as she stared at JJ. "So…that's a no, then? Because, Penelope here has shown quite the interest…" The brunette drawled playfully, her eyes drifting towards Garcia who was smiling devilishly at the turn in conversation.

"Jumping from one blonde to the next, eh, Emily? I don't know whether I should be insulted or honored." The tech analyst joked as she pulled her bright glasses down to stare at Emily.

JJ huffed loudly, drawing both women's attention back to her. "You both are incorrigible." The blonde ran her hand through her hair and shook her head lightly, "I'm still not sure why I put up with either of you, especially now that I've seen how you act around one another." She looked from her best friend then towards her girlfriend, "I'm starting to realize that introducing you two was a bad idea. It's like you feed off one another or something."

Penelope giggled into her hand before pushing her glasses back up her nose, "You put up with me because you love me and would be completely lost without me around." Her head rested on her folded hands as she stared confidently at JJ, "Let's face it Jayje, I bring sunshine and joy to your otherwise dreary and boring life." A cocky smile spread across her lips before she added, "Plus, if we broke up we would have to split custody of cute little Henry and that would just be a pain."

JJ nodded, her face completely serious as she did so, "You are totally right, Pen. You are the only thing in this world that keeps me grounded and I would be utterly lost and confused, not to mention completely helpless without you to guide me. Clearly, you are undervalued not only as a friend but also as the all knowing tech goddess that you are."

The heavily sarcastic words went right over Garcia's head as she smiled widely and nodded fervently, throwing her hands up in excitement as JJ finished. "Finally! Someone recognizes me for my tenacity, good spirits and perfect personality! You are such a good friend Jayje."

JJ hung her head, not understanding how Pen always managed to turn things into a compliment towards herself.

The media liaison shifted her attention towards the brunette, who had been watching the interaction silently with a small smile on her lips. "And as for you," she started, her finger waggling at the doctor, "don't encourage her. She's already too much trouble on her own, I don't need you adding to it."

Emily chuckled lightly, feeling the full force of JJ's motherly scolding. "Sheesh, we've been officially together for, what, five minutes and you're already yelling at me?"

Garcia laughed wildly in the background, her cheeks flushing as she pointed at Emily, "Oh my gosh, I knew JJ was going to be the one wearing the pants in the relationship. It's always the butch ones that turn out to be the whipped ones."

Emily's eyes widened, her mouth opening and closing for a moment before she mouthed, "Butch?" to JJ.

The media liaison just shook her head solemnly while patting Emily's arm reassuringly, "She's just saying that. You aren't butch at all."

The brunette wasn't at all convinced, especially when JJ turned towards Garcia and winked not so subtly at her.

The three continued to chat for the next twenty minutes before JJ excused herself and headed towards the bathroom, leaving Garcia and Emily alone at the table.

Emily watched as JJ rose from her seat and sauntered over to the bathroom, a sense of dread filling her body at the almost predatory look on Penelope's face. It was the look akin to the one a hungry lion gives the wounded gazelle. Emily was by no means a weak and defenseless animal but in the presence of Penelope, she certainly felt like it.

The tech analyst's eyes also watched JJ's retreating form and once the media liaison was out of sight Penelope turned her focus back to JJ's new beau. Her jovial expression turned dark in a matter of milliseconds, her face taking on a look that was not only intimidating but foreign.

Emily could almost see the fire burning behind those eyes and the unsaid threats that swirled within them.

In a move reminiscent of a mobster movie, Garcia pushed her coffee cup aside and folded her hands on top of the table. Her posture screaming out 'intimidation technique' and Emily could only sit there and wait for the 'talk' she knew was inevitable.

The brunette didn't say a word; she just sat there and waited.

"You know what I'm about to say, right?" Penelope asked with a hardened face.

Emily nodded, her features not betraying the amusement she felt at this discussion. "Hurt her and I'll regret it?"

Garcia's eyes narrowed and a malicious smile spread across her face, "No, I don't do physical violence, I'm too happy of a person for that." Her hand waved in the air as if to shoo away the mere thought of violence. "But JJ _is_ my best friend and I _can_ make you disappear. Hurt her and all I have to do is press a button and you're gone. Emily Prentiss will cease to exist." Her eyebrow rose, almost challenging Emily to refute it.

Emily didn't. The brunette had always been good at reading people and she knew that the tech analyst wasn't lying. She may not have known the specifics of Penelope's job but she knew enough to know that the blonde could probably wipe her from the face of the earth with just the click of a button.

But Emily was never one to be intimidated by threats. Her mother had enforced that and her life experiences had cemented it. It was instinctual to fight back and never give up.

The brunette settled back in her chair, "I don't doubt you can follow through on your threat. The FBI wouldn't keep you around if you weren't that good." Her eyes darted towards the bathrooms, making sure JJ was still preoccupied. "But don't expect me to just sit back and let it happen. My credentials and history might be gone, but I sure as hell won't be."

From her peripheral vision she could see JJ approaching so she plastered on a smile, "But I have no intention of hurting her. I wouldn't have made the commitment if I wasn't completely invested."

Penelope stared at her, her eyes scanning Emily's face for any indication of a lie and not finding a single one. The blonde gave a curt nod before her face returned to its normal jovial expression.

JJ sat back down at the table, glancing from Emily, who seemed a little tense, to Garcia, who looked like the cat that had just eaten the canary. "What'd I miss?"

Penelope just waved her hand dismissively, "Nothing important, gumdrop."

JJ's blue eyes scrutinized Emily, "Em?" she asked softly, feeling the light air of tension that surrounded the table.

Emily's brown eyes snapped towards JJ as she shrugged her shoulders lightly, "Penelope said it all; we were just talking about our jobs." She glanced down at her watch, "Speaking of which, I actually have to get going. My break is almost over and I need to head back to the office but it was great meeting you Penelope." Her attention turned towards JJ, "And it's always great seeing you."

JJ stood up and planted a quick kiss on Emily's lips, somewhat disappointed that their time together was getting cut so short. "Are you sure you have to go? Can't someone else cover for you?"

The brunette looked at her girlfriend sadly, "I wish I could but there's only one other person working today and with the flu going around, it's been pretty hectic." She pulled JJ in for another kiss, finding the blonde's lips rather addictive, "But we'll get together soon."

Before Emily even started to walk away, Garcia was shouting for her, "Emily!"

The doctor stopped in her tracks and whirled around, a questioning look on her face, "What's up?"

"Me and JJ were gonna go out for drinks tonight, why don't you join us."

Judging by the surprised expression on JJ's face, Emily didn't really think these plans had been in the making but she wasn't about to turn down more time with JJ and it wouldn't hurt to get to know Penelope any better.

Against her better judgment, she agreed. "Sure, sounds like fun. Just text me the time and place and I'll meet you there."

JJ smiled brightly, already looking forward to a night out with her best friend and stunning girlfriend.

With that, Emily walked out the door; though as she made her way back to work she couldn't seem to shake the strange foreboding feeling that was currently wrapping itself around her. Somehow, she doubted that a night out with Penelope Garcia would be a simple night of drinks and dancing.

The brunette shook the thoughts from her head but the strange feeling still lingered.


	8. Chapter 8

Emily walked into the unfamiliar bar; the distinct need for a beer was almost overwhelming. Her day hadn't improved in the slightest and she was desperate to just unwind.

But, that didn't seem all that likely. When her brown eyes scanned the room and landed on its intended target, JJ, the momentary relief and joy quickly drained from her body.

Sitting at the table with JJ were either her friends or coworkers. She recognized Penelope almost instantly; it was hard to miss the bright colored dress even through the dim bar lighting. Emily could just barely make out a somewhat scrawny man, somewhere around his late 20's or early 30's. She couldn't see the other man, since his back was to her but from what she could see; he was a well built African American.

At this point, the brunette hadn't been spotted and considered slipping out the door and texting JJ that something had come up and she wouldn't be able to make it. Any other day and Emily would have been more than happy to meet the friends (whom she had a feeling were also her coworkers) but from the looks of things she didn't have much of a choice.

Her indecision and manners caused her to lose the internal debate altogether when she saw JJ wave an enthusiastic hand at her, motioning the doctor over to the table.

This was uncharted territory for Emily, the meeting of her friends and son; it wasn't something she had ever done. After high school, Emily vehemently swore off relationships and subsequently men, but damn Jennifer and her ability to get under Emily's skin. The doctor could already tell the blonde was going to be like a drug she just couldn't quit.

No matter how quickly things seemed to be progressing, and for Emily, they were indeed moving very quickly, she couldn't quite stop trying to navigate the rocky waters. The doctor wasn't exactly skittish when it came to these types of things but too many things were happening all at once and when her crappy day was factored into things, she felt like bolting for the door and crawling into bed.

And then she saw JJ's smiling face and her cowardice disappeared in an instant. Her nerves and uneasiness slipped away, shoved into a compartment that would only be opened once she was in the safety of her own home.

She deftly made her way over to the table. "Hey," Emily said easily, her eyes quickly scanning the others at the table, a habit she had been unable to kick.

"Hey, Em, I'm so glad you could make it!" JJ said cheerfully, pulling out a chair for the brunette to sit in.

Emily offered a smile before slowly dropping onto the seat, her slouched form instantly straightening.

"Hello again, Penelope." Emily leaned forward and smiled at the bubbly blonde.  
Garcia smiled widely, not having thought that Emily would have showed up, "Hiya, Doc."

For some reason, it seemed like every time Garcia called Emily 'Doc' she made it seem like it was some sort of sexual innuendo and it unnerved Emily to no end.

"Em, this is Derek Morgan and that's Spencer Reid; guys, this is my girlfriend, Emily Prentiss."

Emily smiled at both men, "Nice to meet you both," she said politely before throwing a questioning glance at JJ.

JJ leaned over, her mouth hovering by Emily's ear, "Sorry, Garcia invited them last minute."

Emily nodded, the strange sense of relationship claustrophobia clawing at her as she watch all of them interact.

"So, Emily, how are you treating our JJ, here?" Morgan boomed, his wide smile only somewhat calming Emily's fraying nerves.

"I'd hope well, but I suppose you should be asking Jennifer that." The doctor remarked lightly, forcing the bubbling emotions back into the compartment they seemed reluctant to stay in.

JJ took a swig of her beer before smacking Morgan in the arm, "She's been treating me just fine, and no grilling my girlfriend tonight."

Morgan chuckled before something clicked and his eyes widened a bit, "Wait a minute, did she just call you Jennifer?"

JJ's eyes narrowed, her blue eyes gleaming as she stared down Derek. The man in question threw his hands in the air and smiled sheepishly, "Whoa there tiger, calm down. I was just asking a question."

Emily's brow furrowed in confusion, "Is there something wrong with calling her Jennifer?" The brunette asked curiously.

JJ shook her head in the negative while Morgan, Reid and Garcia all nodded in the affirmative.

"Uh, I seem to be getting mixed signals on this one." Emily said after a moment.

"JJ hates it when others call her by her first name. To date she's chewed out seventeen people who have made the mistake of saying it. The only person she hasn't is our section chief and that's only because Strauss would most likely fire her for speaking out." Reid supplied helpfully.

Morgan nodded along as he confirmed what Spencer was saying.

"Wow." Was all Emily could think to say; she wasn't sure a name could make someone so angry but it made her wonder why JJ would continue to let her say her full name if she absolutely hated it.

"Correction, I hate it when anyone but Emily says it. She kinda gets free reign to say it whenever she wants." JJ chirped happily, grabbing the brunette's hand as she made her declaration.

Before Emily could respond, JJ was yanking on her hand and pulling her out of her chair. "Enough of that; tonight is supposed to be about having fun and relaxing. So _we_ are going to go dance!" As much as JJ wanted Emily to get to know her friends, she wanted to spend time alone with her even more.

With that, both women left the table and moved to the dance floor, Garcia and Morgan following closely behind.

"Does Spencer not dance?" Emily asked as they moved to the music, noticing that Reid was sitting alone at the table.

"He doesn't like to dance; he usually just ends up talking to someone about Star Trek or Doctor Who. He's a bit of a nerd," JJ said offhandedly as she closed the distance between her and the brunette.

All train of thought was abruptly cut off as Emily focused solely on the feeling of JJ pressed up against her body and the delicious way they were dancing.

As they swayed to the music, Emily was astounded that while her day had started off terrible enough, that it had made quite a delightful turn. Not only could she officially call Jennifer Jareau her girlfriend but she was currently holding the beautiful blonde in her arms. Things didn't seem like they could get much better.

* * *

Emily and JJ had spent the better part of the night dancing but once someone challenged the blonde to a game of darts it seemed that all bets were off. JJ had excused herself, briefly mentioning that she had a title to protect and would be back as soon as she won. The cocky confidence JJ had as she declared that did not go unnoticed by Emily.

So, Emily stood off by the bathrooms, needing a moment to catch her breath and was more than happy to just observe JJ in her natural element.

The brunette watched as JJ played round after round of darts, easily beating her competition. It was obvious from not only the way that everyone avoided playing her but also from the presence of her name on the scoreboard that she was quite the profession dart player.

Just as Emily watched the blonde toss another dart, a large, rough hand clamped down on her shoulder. "Hey there sexy," a tall, balding man in his late forties said drunkenly, the smell of cigarettes and whiskey invaded her nostrils.

Her hand forcibly removed his from her shoulder, "Not interested," Emily replied coolly, her eyes never leaving JJ.

"Aw, don't be that way beautiful. I know you want a piece of this and I'm more than okay with that." His words were slurring and every so often a hiccup would break up his speech. Again, his hand clamped down on her shoulder, causing her body to tense and go rigid.

Emily took a deep breath to calm herself, instantly regretting it when his putrid alcohol soaked body odor filled her nose, "I'm only going to say this once." Emily warned, her voice taking on a serious edge as it lowered, just barely audible over the noise in the bar. "Take your hand off of me and walk away before I force it off." Her brown eyes stared at the offending appendage, her glare making him grab her harder.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to show you just what you're missin' sweet thing," he whirled her towards him as his grip tightened and his face moved closer towards hers.

Resisting the urge to vomit at the thought of kissing the pig before her, she reared her leg back and kneed him square in the groin. He grunted in pain but before he could drop to the ground, her hand grabbed the one that had been digging painfully into her shoulder and twisted it behind his back. Her lips moved towards his ear as she pressed his face into the nearest wall, "Next time a lady turns you down just walk away; don't try to force her into kissing you," the doctor hissed before releasing his arm, tossing him to the ground and turning to walk away.

At the sound of a scuffle, JJ's attention quickly shifted from her game of darts to the large man who had just been kneed by her girlfriend.

As Emily walked towards the bar and away from the drunk she could hear his heavy footsteps coming up behind her and she sighed.

Just as the blonde went to help the brunette she noticed the burly man starting to move towards her girlfriend. "Emily, look out!" JJ screamed over the noise as the large man came up behind the seemingly unaware brunette, his face twisted into an angry scowl as his hand cocked backwards.

Emily didn't turn around nor did she acknowledge JJ's warning. Her brow knitted together as her headache from earlier returned with a vengeance.

She could feel the man behind her and just as his hand went to grab her shoulder and no doubt hit her in the face with the other, Emily was suddenly just out of his grasp. She watched as his hand sailed by where she had just been and a malicious smirk pulled at her lips.

His hand shot out towards her again and Emily was suddenly in a different spot. Her body moving around with such fluidity that the BAU team could only watch with wide eyes as Emily danced around, never where her attacker thought she was.

Having had enough, Emily sidestepped the man again and slammed her knee into his gut before snapping her elbow upward and hitting him in the nose.

Blood flowed freely from his nose the instant he was hit and Emily couldn't help but notice that her shirt was now ruined. She sighed and as one last dig, punched the drunk with a right hook, sending him crashing to the ground like a ten pound sack of flour.

She cast one last glance at the unconscious drunk before moving towards the front of the bar, finding it oddly amusing that the patrons parted as she walked through the crowd.

"Damn, Prentiss, where'd you learn to fight like that?" Morgan asked at the same time JJ asked, "Are you okay?"

Emily grabbed JJ's hand and squeezed it, "I'm fine, he didn't really get any hits in." the brunette shrugged, ignoring the pain of the probably already forming bruise on her shoulder.

Her focus turned towards Morgan who looked a little too excited about what had just happened. Running a hand through her hair, Emily glanced back at the man who was now being dragged towards a booth, "I used to take a lot of self defense courses. I'm no professional but I can defend myself if I need to." she looked back at Morgan, noting that he seemed pleased with that answer.

Emily flexed her hand, the familiar stiffness and pain radiating from her red knuckles. It had been awhile since she actually hit someone and the brunette was quickly reminded of why punching a person in the face was not a good decision.

JJ noticed Emily flexing her hand and scooped some ice out of her water, wrapped it in some napkins and pressed it to the doctor's knuckles.

"Better?" JJ asked, worry in her eyes as she tried to focus on an injured Emily instead of the sexy fighting Emily that had invaded her mind. Not that Emily needed any help in the sex appeal department but JJ found that the cocky determination the brunette showed when fighting and the liquid grace that infused Emily's movements had her swooning a little too much.

Emily smiled before she noticed the faint reddening of JJ's cheeks and her smile morphed into a smirk, "Thank you Doctor Jareau," she whispered in a low and seductive voice, her lips mere centimeters from JJ's ear.

JJ felt a familiar shiver run down her spine as a warmth flooded her body. A small gasp escaped her lips when she felt teeth start to nibble on her ear.

Emily pulled away, a devilish smile on her face as Morgan turned his attention back towards the couple. His eyes narrowed for a moment at JJ's wide eyes and Emily's cocky smile before he shrugged it off and went back to flirting with the woman standing beside him.

Once Emily was sure Morgan was officially distracted, she resumed her previous position, her body moving in front of JJ as she leaned forward. "I have a few more things you can check out, Doctor Jareau, I might need a thorough examination." Emily resumed nibbling on JJ's ear before moving her lips down her neck.

JJ sucked in a breath, the feeling of Emily's lips on her skin making her head spin. The seductive words barely pierced through her fog of arousal and she found herself resisting the urge to go completely cavewoman and drag Emily out of the bar.

Emily placed her hands on JJ's hips and pulled her closer; the adrenaline from the altercation earlier and her drinks making her bolder in her actions. She continued to place kisses down JJ's neck before connecting their lips in a slow and drawn out kiss.

JJ's hands wound themselves in Emily's hair as she deepened the kiss. Just as quickly as the kiss started, it was broken. JJ pulled back, her blue eyes a little glassy as she struggled to catch her breath.

Emily's eyes were twin pools of desire and lust, her chest heaving slightly from the force of the kiss. Her head was swimming, whether it was from the adrenaline rush, the alcohol, or her hormones, she had no clue.

JJ was long past rational thought, her hand grabbed Emily's uninjured one and dragged her towards the exit. "Bye guys," was muttered offhandedly as the two made their way towards the exit and to JJ's empty house.

The moment they had stepped out of JJ's car, Emily's lips were on the blondes and they were stumbling down the driveway and towards the door. Their lips were locked and their hands were roaming as JJ fumbled with her key and tried to unlock the door, all while remaining attached to Emily.

The surge of pleasure rippling through the blonde kept her from rational thought as she dumbly dropped the keys and tangled her hands in Emily's hair again, needing more contact.

Emily hands snaked around JJ's waist as she pushed her up against the door, her teeth gently nipping at JJ's bottom lip.

The lust filled fog descended on both of them and neither were entirely aware of nor caring of the fact that they were still outside of JJ's house and in plain view of anyone who bothered to glance out their windows or look in their general direction.

When Emily's lips started their torturous journey down JJ's neck again, the media liaison had just enough brain power to place a hand on Emily's chest and push her back. She quickly bent down, grabbed her keys and unlocked the door. The blonde turned back around, her back to the entrance as she grabbed the lapels of Emily's jacket and pulled her into the house, their bodies crashing into one another as JJ's foot kicked the door shut.

As they moved through the house and towards the bedroom, articles of clothing were dropped unceremoniously on the floor, almost like a breadcrumb trail.

By the time they had made it to the bedroom, both women were stripped down to just their underwear and were more than eager to leave those on the ground as well.

The last coherent thought JJ had as she pressed Emily up against the closed bedroom door was that she had never been happier to have agreed to let Henry spent the day with his grandparents, because she definitely didn't want her son hearing what was about to happen.

* * *

**I've been getting quite a few questions on Emily's past, and it was hinted at a little in the last chapter, so I figure I'd answer that one because it might be a little while before it comes completely out. I'm planning on following along her past as far as the CM storyline for her goes. Her Interpol work seems like an integral part of her character so I wanted to keep that for this story. However, the details surrounding it will most definitely be changed.**


	9. Chapter 9

In the morning, a shrill beeping was what jarred the blonde from her peaceful slumber. Her hand slammed down onto the clock as she rolled over in bed, her searching fingers immediately coming in contact with cool sheets. Her eye cracked open as she blearily glanced at the empty side of her bed, a frown causing her brow to furrow.

JJ ran a hand down her face, hoping to wipe away the last remnants of sleep that had her brain a in a fog. She tried not to but her eyes automatically went back to the empty spot beside her and for the briefest of moments she wondered if the activities from the night before had really happened or if had just been an extremely realistic and cruel dream.

It certainly wouldn't have been the first time she had had a little too much to drink and made up a night full of events, though those had been primarily limited to her twenties when excessive drinking was a good time.

JJ sat up in bed, the sheet dropping from around her chest and pooling on her lap. If it weren't for the fact that she was completely naked, something she rarely did now that she had Henry, the deliciously painful ache in her muscles would have been a solid indicator that she hadn't dreamt up last night's activities. There was also the smell of sex and the distinct odor that was solely Emily lingering on the space next to her.

A smile tugged at her lips as the blonde dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom to get ready for work. Her body felt loose; achy, but loose and every fiber of her being felt like it was vibrating with nothing but pure energy.

Stepping into the bathroom, her eyes locked onto a small yellow piece of paper stuck to the mirror. **'Sorry to leave before you woke up, I was actually looking forward to that. I have to open the office this morning but I'll be seeing you for lunch. **

**P.S. I had a great time last night.**'

JJ plucked the paper off the mirror, her cheeks blushing as she put it into her nightstand.

Her smile never quite fading as she got ready and went in to work.

* * *

Emily walked into the BAU bullpen, noticing how quiet it seemed. For some reason, she imagined it being busier than it was, though she wasn't sure why.

Shrugging the thought off, she glanced around looking for where JJ might be. Just as her eyes started their second sweep of the floor, a voice spoke up behind her. "Can I help you with something?"

Emily turned around and came face to face with a woman in her mid to late forties with long brown hair and dark brown eyes. "Yes, I'm looking for Jennifer Jareau; do you know where I might find her?"

The other woman smiled warmly, her eyes subtly raking over Emily's body as the doctor once again glanced around the bullpen. "I think JJ stepped out; is there anything I can help you with."

"Uh, no thank you..." Emily trailed off since she had no idea who this woman was.

"Oh, where are my manners. I'm Alex Blake," she stuck her hand out, which after a second, Emily shook.

"Nice to meet you Miss Blake, I'm Emily Prentiss." Emily released the other woman's hand and took a step back, "Do you know when JJ will be back?"

Alex was still smiling at Emily, though her unwavering stare was making the doctor a bit uncomfortable. "Sorry, I'm not sure. Though, as I said earlier, I'd be more than happy to help."

Emily shook her head, "I'm not here for anything business related. Does she have an office I can wait in?"

Alex's smile fell when Emily mentioned the nature of her visit, only then noticing the large plastic bag the other woman was holding. "Her office is right up those stairs, but it's against regulation to leave anyone besides employees unattended in the offices."

Emily held in her annoyed sigh, wondering why this woman was being so difficult and insistent. "Alright then, I guess I'll just come back later."

Alex shook her head and lightly grabbed Emily's elbow to halt her movement. The action caused Emily to stiffen immediately, the muscles in her arm tightening as she resisted the urge to yank her arm out of the woman's grasp. "You don't have to leave; you're more than welcome to wait at my desk until JJ gets back."

Smiling tightly, Emily extricated her arm from the other woman's grasp, "While I appreciate the offer, I wouldn't want to distract you from your work."

Before Emily could walk away, the other woman was already pushing her towards her desk, a pleasant smile on her face as she did so. "Please, it's no bother; besides, I'm on my lunch break anyways."

Emily nodded, and reluctantly sat down with the other woman.

"So, what do you do?" Alex asked as she reached into her desk and pulled out a brown paper bag.

"I'm a doctor, a pediatrician to be more specific."

Alex nodded thoughtfully, pulling out a sandwich and taking a bite.

"Are you a profiler like Derek and Spencer?" Emily asked after a moment, unable to stand the momentary lull in conversation. It was strained and awkward and if there was one thing Emily didn't do well, it was awkward.

"Oh, you know Morgan and Reid?" Alex asked; her interest piqued. Emily simply nodded. "Well, yeah, I actually just started a little while ago. I'm a profiler and a linguist expert."

Emily finally started to relax, though not completely, as she found some sort of common ground with the other woman. "Really? What languages do you speak?"

Alex started to list off the languages she was fluent in and Emily was pleasantly surprised to see they knew many of the same ones.

At some point their conversation shifted from English to Portuguese, though neither woman was very aware of that fact.

When JJ walked back into the office, she immediately recognized Emily's husky voice. The fact that her girlfriend wasn't speaking English registered only a second later.

"Emily?" JJ asked hesitantly, wondering if Emily and Alex somehow knew one another.

The conversation between the two brunettes quickly ended as Emily turned around, a smile automatically appearing on her face as she came face to face with the person she had been waiting for.

As good of company as Alex seemed to be, Emily would have much preferred to have spent it with JJ.

"Hey, JJ. I stopped by for lunch but you were out so Alex offered to keep me company while I waited," Emily held up the plastic bag with their lunch as proof.

"Yeah, sorry about that, I had to run an errand" her blue eyes darted towards Alex, feeling somewhat uneasy and probably more than a little jealous of how quickly the two seemed to buddy up to one another, but mostly jealous of the fact that in only a short while Alex had managed to learn something about Emily that JJ had no clue about.

'_Calm down JJ! It's too early in this relationship to be acting like a jealous and controlling girlfriend! Besides, you have to work with Alex on a daily basis and hardly know anything about her. Just breathe and walk away._' Her inner monologue only temporarily soothed her nerves, but she was determined not to let her jealousy get the better of her. Plenty of women and men would find Emily attractive and as much as she might want to shoot them in the kneecaps for even thinking about hitting on the doctor, she couldn't.

"Thanks for keeping her company while I was gone, Alex." JJ smiled at the profiler, hoping it didn't appear as strained as it felt. "Em, how about we eat lunch in my office."

Emily smiled, her brown eyes holding a mischievous glint as she nodded. "Sure thing." The doctor followed JJ, only turning around to thank her fellow linguist.

Once they had stepped into JJ's office, the blonde quickly closed and locked the door, taking three quick strides towards Emily and crashing their lips together in a fierce and possessive kiss.

When they pulled apart, Emily's smirk had grown even larger and it would be impossible to miss the cocky arrogance that came along with it. "Is it just me or do you seem a little jealous?"

JJ ground her teeth together, hating how transparent she was. For the briefest of moments, she mentally reminded herself to milk things when their roles were reversed. "No, I just missed you," the blonde countered weakly.

Emily arched an eyebrow, "Are you sure that's all it was? Because, I can assure you that Alex Blake isn't my type."

"And what, pray tell, is Emily Prentiss's type?" The blonde asked with unbridled curiosity.

Tapping her chin thoughtfully, Emily leaned back in her chair and tilted her head, "Well, she'd have to be blonde. Definitely a blue eyed blonde." The brunette nodded, as though she were agreeing with herself. "She would probably have to have a high demand job like mine."

JJ listened with rapt interest as Emily ticked off what she looked for in a girlfriend.

"I guess I'd want someone eloquent; a woman who could hold her own in a conversation on the off chance that we had to go to an upscale event or something equally stuffy." Emily squinted as she pretended to wrack her brain, but in reality, she didn't need to put much thought into it. Her type just so happened to be sitting directly across from her. Her taste was eclectic but if someone were to personify everything she could hope for in a partner, Jennifer Jareau would definitely be it.

The doctor had planned to drag things out a bit more, but seeing an uncharacteristic insecurity flashing in JJ's baby blues, she put the woman out of her misery. "I'd need someone who's just as badass as I am, so she would absolutely need to be packing some heat on a daily basis. I suppose a profession in the FBI would be a good start," Emily rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "maybe a media liaison?"

The brunette rose from her seat and stalked closer to the blonde, idly noting that JJ looked less worried and more than a little amused. "I work with kids all day, so logically; she would need to have a kid too. Preferably, an adorable son who looked like a spitting image of his mother; what with the blonde hair and ridiculously deep blue eyes." Emily nodded to herself, smiling when JJ smiled.

At this point, Emily was only a few inches away from the media liaison, her head tilting in faux contemplation, "And, I know this is going to sound completely absurd but I have only ever dated women who fit that bill and also happen to be named Jennifer." The doctor exaggerated a loud sigh, taking the final step toward JJ and wrapping her arms around the other woman's neck, "It's why my dating life is nearly not existent and pretty abysmal."

JJ, unable to take anymore of Emily's strangely sweet and uncharacteristically cheesy spiel, leaned forward and pressed their lips together, the pleasurable shock still coursing through her body at the contact.

"You are a complete dork, you know that right?" JJ said quietly when they broke apart, their foreheads pressed together.

Emily smiled charmingly, "But you loved it." Her brown eyes twinkled as she added, "Plus, you aren't jealous anymore, are you?"

The blonde blushed; not at all proud to have been so easily read or that she had actually gotten jealous of her co-worker talking to her girlfriend. Though, JJ couldn't feel entirely dismayed about the whole thing because she was certain that on some level, Alex was attracted to Emily.

"Can we just pretend like that _didn't_ happen? I'm not proud of being the jealous girlfriend; in fact, I've _never_ been the jealous type." JJ shook her head dejectedly, wondering how bad things would get once they got a little more serious.

Emily's eyebrow hiked up, "You shouldn't be ashamed of getting jealous. I thought it was pretty hot," she whispered huskily, her grip on the other woman tightening just a fraction. "Besides, I'm sure I'll be the same way. You just haven't gotten to see it because we haven't been out much." Emily was sure that JJ didn't believe her but the doctor knew that once they started to do more things together she would see men and women alike, checking the blonde out. And Emily was beyond a hundred percent certain that she would glare at them so hard they might combust. The brunette knew she was going to be the jealous type but also knew that she would be better at hiding it than JJ.

JJ stared blankly at Emily before a quiet laughter spilled from her lips, her eyes fluttering closed as she continued to shake with barely restrained giggles. "Ugh, why do you have to say just the right things all the time?" The blonde took a step back and sat down in her chair, "Any time you want to start showing some flaws, feel free to."

Emily smirked playfully, taking her seat on the other side of the desk as she doled out the food. "I'd like you to remember this moment when we have our first fight," the doctor pointed out, happy to have a 'get out of jail free' card in her pocket.

Grabbing the sandwich from the brunette, she smiled sweetly, "Dream on, Prentiss."

"So bossy," Emily muttered as she took a bite of her food.

After a moment of silent eating, JJ finally asked the question that had been lingering in the back of her mind since she overheard Alex and Emily talking earlier. "Why didn't you mention you were fluent in other languages?"

Emily paused mid-bite before swallowing and setting her food down slowly, only slightly phased by the blurted question. "I guess it just never seemed like something worth mentioning." She sighed quietly, not particularly enjoying the sharing aspect of things. The doctor tended to hold her cards close to her chest and unless asked directly, she doubted she would volunteer information, regardless of how inconsequential it seemed. She was a personal person and after only a short time of being with JJ, she knew that wouldn't really cut it. _'Now's as good a time as any, I guess_.' Going against years of ingrained distancing techniques, she started her short explanation. "I told you how I moved around a lot when I was a kid right?"

JJ nodded slowly, realization quickly dawning on her but before she could speak up, Emily continued. "My mother insisted that I learn the native dialects of the places we lived, despite how frequently we bounced around. Even if that wasn't the case though, I was always a bit of an overachiever and felt the need to impress her so I picked up as many as I could." Emily's face was impassive as she spoke, trying to give an air of nonchalance as she talked about her childhood and past but JJ saw through it. No matter how controlled Emily made her movements or face, her eyes would always give her away.

The blonde saw the flicker of emotions that passed through Emily's brown eyes and knew she had inadvertently hit a sore spot.

But to her surprise, Emily didn't shut her out or try to deflect, though JJ could tell the doctor desperately wanted to.

"It didn't hurt that I had a niche for learning them. I guess I liked being able to blend in with the people around me; if I could speak the language then I could pretend I wasn't an outsider or just passing through." Emily's brown eyes glazed over for just a second before she shook her head and the memories that flooded it. Her familiar smirk replaced her somewhat somber smile as she picked back up her food.

JJ could only stare as she watched the flip switch on the brunette, one moment she was as close to an open book as a person could come and the next second, she was back to her usual composed and guarded self. It didn't take a profiler or a genius to figure out that this was how Emily operated, she had clearly erected walls around herself. For what purpose, JJ couldn't be entirely sure, but there was no doubt in her mind that it would take quite a bit of work to bust through them.

"For future reference, or as a piece of random trivia, I'm fluent in Italian, Spanish, Arabic, and French. If need be, I can get by with Russian, Portuguese and Greek but I'm not as well versed in those as I'd like to be." The doctor pursed her lips in thought, suddenly a little surprised herself at how many languages she knew. "You know, as a doctor, you would think my language skills would come in handy a bit more often but I don't think I've ever really spoken in anything besides English and occasionally Spanish."

While Emily contemplated that strange tidbit of information, JJ just stared at her with unrestrained amusement. In that moment, JJ knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Emily Prentiss was entirely worth the effort of knocking down those walls. No matter how much work she knew it would be, the doctor sitting before her definitely seemed worth it.

Plus, it was good to know that no matter how perfect Emily appeared to JJ, the doctor wasn't without her own flaws.

"Hello, Earth to Jennifer." Emily waved her hand in front of JJ's face, snapping the media liaison out of her reverie.

"Huh, what?" JJ stared blankly at Emily, having no idea what the other woman had just said.

"Care to share what has you so lost in your thoughts?" The brunette tried to keep a straight face as she asked but the quirking of her lip ruined the stern look she was going for.

"Have you always been this nosy, Prentiss?" JJ asked slyly, a teasing smile on her lips as she leaned forward on the desk.

Emily smirked and crossed her arms across her chest, leaning back in her chair. "Me? Nosy? Never." Her head shook as she replied, her smirk morphing into an exaggerated pout. "Jennifer, you wound me. How could you ever dream of accusing me of such a thing? Here I am, being the best girlfriend a person could ask for; bringing you lunch, gracing you with my fantastic company and even sharing with you my tongue expertise." The doctor's eyes smoldered as she tried to maintain her look of innocence, especially after her last comment.

JJ, who happened to be swallowing the last of her food, choked at the last thing Emily had mentioned, her eyes going wide as she stared incredulously at the other woman. "Excuse me?" She sputtered after she was sure she wouldn't choke to death, not entirely sure she had heard things correctly.

"I was talking about my linguistic skills." Emily smiled widely as she clucked her tongue at the blonde, "Seriously Jennifer, get your mind out of the gutter."

JJ's cheeks reddened before she forced herself to look affronted at the accusation. "I-I wasn't thinking _that_!"

Emily just stared at the blonde, no words necessary to portray how little truth the doctor found in that defensive comment.

The two sat in a silent staring match, JJ meeting the doctor's gaze in an attempt to show that her mind was not, in fact, in the gutter.

Deciding not to waste what little time she managed to snag of JJ's, Emily let the blonde win the staring contest and glanced at the clock. "So, do you and Henry have plans tonight?" Her voice was light and carefree but inside, Emily was anything but.

Since their dinner the doctor had been trying to figure out outings that could include Henry and she hadn't been having much success. On more than one occasion she had berated herself for being an adult who spent most of her day around children and yet couldn't for the life of her think of a date that could include JJ's son.

Emily had figured that if she could put a fire under her butt and made the plans then she would have better success with an idea.

JJ, unaware of Emily's predicament, smiled brightly, the thought of Emily wanting to spend not only time with her but her son as well solidifying her idea of how serious their relationship was getting. The blonde had spent a lot of lonely nights wishing she could find someone who could not only love her (and her demanding job) but her son as well. So, only a few dates in and Emily was already setting herself apart from the past contenders.

It wasn't the fact that Emily was offering everything JJ had wanted, even if the brunette didn't quite know it; no, it was the fact that it was happening at such a fast pace.

JJ was used to prioritizing the things in her life, because with her job, her love life (or lack thereof) and her son, she needed to be able to juggle them all and still manage to maintain some semblance of her sanity.

Emily was both building up and utterly destroying the well perfected setup JJ had created and the blonde was willing to concede that she was helpless to do anything about it. Emily offered a future that always seemed just a little out of JJ's grasp and she figured that her and Henry offered Emily a chance at a future the doctor seemed to have completely ruled out.

But what struck JJ the most, out of everything she had been slowly realizing the more time she spent with her girlfriend, was that she was falling hard and fast. It would be crazy, at least to JJ, to admit to falling in love with Emily so soon, especially only after a few dates and lunches, but she was secure enough to admit that she was definitely falling in love with the idea of loving Emily forever.

The media liaison could only hope things continued to progress positively and that she wouldn't end up getting burned by the all consuming fire that was Emily Prentiss.

"Nope, we don't have any plans. What'd you have in mind?" JJ asked, though she was sure that whatever Emily had planned, her and Henry would enjoy whatever it was. Both Jareaus seemed to take pleasure in just being in the company of the doctor.

"I'll tell you when I'm picking you both up tonight. How's six sound?" Emily replied mysteriously, her brown eyes glowing with mischief.

JJ was tempted to make a joke but with what time she had been spending with the doctor she was getting better at reading her guarded eyes, and just beneath the surface she could clearly see the nervousness. "Six is perfect." The blonde said softly, her voice betraying just how sweet she found Emily's anxiety to be.

Quickly standing up, Emily dusted off her pants and smiled brightly at JJ, "Great! " Her hand ran through her hair as she stood there awkwardly for a moment, thoughts of activities for the three of them running rampant through her mind.

The doctor took three quick strides toward the blonde before pressing their lips together, her hands gently cupping JJ's face. The kiss was soft and gentle and seemed to act as a balm for Emily's fears for the night. Kissing JJ, however many times they had done it, still sent a pulse of electricity through Emily and if they continued to ignite her body and calm her fears, Emily wasn't sure she would ever be able to willingly give up JJ."Uh, so, I'll see you tonight." The doctor mumbled after pulling away, her brain feeling foggy with the aftereffects of the kiss and the emotions that came with it.

Taking tentative but rushed steps back, Emily flashed one last dazzling smile before strolling out the door.

JJ sat in her chair and stared at the closed door, her fingers automatically moving to her lips, as though the mere act of touching them could somehow validate the strangely common tingling that occurred every time their bodies came in contact with one another.

"Emily Prentiss, what are you doing to me?" JJ muttered to herself, her fingers still lightly pressed to her lips. Shaking her head to clear the errant thoughts of her enigmatic girlfriend, JJ focused on the files in front of her and pushed the excitement of their outing that night to the back of her mind.


	10. Chapter 10

Emily sat on her couch, her hand idly running over her dog's head. Since leaving JJ's office, she had been racking her brain for a 'family' outing and so far hadn't found anything that seemed up to par.

Movies seemed a little impersonal and while she was loath to admit it out loud to anyone but her dog, Aurora, she wanted to impress Henry. Bowling was a common outing that was kid friendly but she thought Henry was a bit too young to truly enjoy or grasp the activity.

Her free hand raked through her own raven hair, tugging it in frustration as she did so. "Any suggestions, Aurora?" The doctor asked her dog, not in the least bit caring of how crazy and ridiculous it was to be asking her animal companion.

A huff escaped the dog's lips, as if she were trying to convey how exasperating the interruption was.

"What do I keep you around for if this is how you treat me?" Emily groused; her hand halting its petting motion as she stared down at the annoyed dog.

Aurora snorted and Emily could have sworn she saw her dog roll her eyes and could almost hear the accompanying 'Please, _I_ keep _you_ around.'

"You are so full of yourself," Emily grumbled to herself. "And absolutely useless," her statement punctuated with a hardened glare.

Aurora pushed up off the couch and sat staring expectantly at Emily, as though she were just waiting for her owner to grasp what was right in front of her face.

Emily stared back at her dog, Aurora's unwavering gaze and intelligent eyes starting to weird her out. "Can you not do that? It's bad enough that I talk to you like you'll talk back but when you start staring at me like this, it makes me feel stupid and uncomfortable." She grumbled, wondering, for not the first time, why she felt the need to have one-sided conversations with her sometimes-too-human furry companion.

As if understanding what Emily was saying, Aurora's ears dropped and her head rested gently on the brunettes lap, her eyes slipping closed while her tail quietly thumped against the couch cushions. The doctor resumed running her hand over the dog's head, the motion causing as much comfort for the dog as it did her.

Her brown eyes stared out the window for a solid moment before a thought seemingly slammed into her head. Her free hand smacked into her face as she mumbled to herself how stupid she was for taking so long to realize the most obvious of answers. "Sometimes I really question my intelligence." Emily shook her head in disappointment before glancing back down at her dog. "The answer has literally been staring me in the face the entire time I've been sitting here."

Aurora's head lifted up as her golden brown eyes stared with rapt attention at her owner.

Emily's pale hand swept towards the window overlooking the city, drawing attention to the faintly glowing lights off in the distance. "The carnival," she said after a moment of nothing but a blank stare from her dog. Not that Emily was expecting Aurora to start talking or anything, but she expected at least a tail wag or maybe a head tilt.

"This is the part where you get excited because of how great an idea this is." The doctor said pointedly, sounding more than a little exasperated at how blasé Aurora seemed to be considering how excited she normally was.

Emily quirked an eyebrow and Aurora started to wag her tail excitedly, her tongue hanging out of her mouth as she panted and licked Emily's face. The doctor laughed lightly as she wiped at the dog saliva on her cheek and jumped off the couch. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, thanks for placating me. You're such a good dog," she said dryly.

Completely pleased with that, Aurora dropped back onto the couch and resumed her slumber while Emily walked up the stairs, mumbling about getting the only dog with more attitude than her.

* * *

Emily drove JJ and Henry to their destination but hadn't mentioned where it was; wanting to see the surprise and shock and hopefully joy on their faces.

The carnival was full of twinkling lights, excited chatter and bustling games; everything Emily thought a carnival should be. The doctor watched with a small smile as Henry took in their location and the sight before him. His small hand tightened its grip on both Emily and JJ's hand as his jubilation grew.

He stood in between JJ and Emily, his blue eyes scanning the area as he excitedly tugged both women through the entrance and towards the first game booth. "So Henry, games first?" Emily asked even though the little boys incessant tugging clearly indicated his agreement.

The first booth they stepped up to was a four player game. The three of them stood before the metal water guns as Emily dropped the six dollar payment onto the counter and waited for the game instructions.

"Welcome to the Water Shootout. The object of the game is to beat out your competitors by hitting the bullseye until the meter fills with water. The first one to fill the meter is the winner and gets a prize of their choice!" The old man behind the booth explained, his eyes showing his excitement at the game while his hand waved with an exaggerated flourish towards the prizes hanging on the wall behind him. "Everyone understand?" He asked happily, looking at JJ, then Henry and finally at Emily.

Emily nodded while Henry just bounced on his stool, his tiny hands grasping the water gun as if it would disappear the moment his grip loosened. "Yeah, we're all set." JJ voiced, sounding just as excited as Henry looked.

"Alrighty then. Ready, set, GO!" A loud buzzer sounded and the meters attached to the bullseyes suddenly flashed with bright lights as a vaguely familiar show tune played in the background. Emily halfheartedly shot at the target but found that watching JJ and Henry battle it out was much more attention worthy.

All too soon, Emily's eyes were snapping back to the meters when a loud clanging sounded, a clear indicator that someone had just won. Her brown eyes locked onto the middle meter, where the lights were flashing in rapid succession and she turned to see Henry pointing towards a small stuffed bear, his chosen prize.

"One bear for the winner," the elderly man behind the stand remarked joyously, his dark brown eyes shining as he handed over the toy with an unnecessary but completely entertaining bow.

"Thank you," Henry said politely before handing the bear to his mother with a shy toothy grin and shining ocean blue eyes.

JJ's eyes widened for a second before a loving smile overtook her face and she gingerly grabbed the offering. "For me?" It shouldn't have been so shocking, especially since Henry was in his 'big boy' phase where he insisted on doing everything himself, but the act did shock her and it made her heart swell with love.

Before JJ could get overwhelmed in that familiar current of emotion and love that occurred whenever it came to her son, Emily was nudging her side and whispering "He's going to be a total heartbreaker." JJ stifled a chuckle before nodding, "You're probably right." The media liaison wasn't cocky or vain in any way but even she had to admit that her blue eyes, which luckily her son had inherited, when used correctly, could melt even the hardest of hearts.

It was because of her blue eyes that she managed to wrangle in the media and keep the unruly and usually pissed off police officers on their cases in good enough spirits. And if her son grew up to be the person she was trying so hard to help him become, she was sure that he would have no shortage of people lining up for him.

"You and him," Emily whispered into JJ's ear, her breath hitting the blonde's skin and sending shivers down her spine, "I never stood a chance, did I?"

JJ bit her lip to keep her ridiculous grin from spreading across her face, her head shaking furiously. "It's all in the eyes," the blonde teased, her eyelashes fluttering dramatically.

Emily simply shrugged her shoulders, already feeling herself being pulled into the hypnotizing current that those baby blue eyes always seemed to produce. "I'm such a sucker for those things."

Before their flirting banter could go any further, Henry was showing his impatience at their lack of progression through the carnival. "C'mon," he said impatiently, his lower lip jutting out in a clearly perfected pout that Emily had no resistance towards.

JJ, already excruciatingly familiar with the pout, just sighed lightly while she followed behind Henry as he clung to Emily's hand and weaved between the crowds.

Once Emily and Henry set eyes on the Ferris wheel it seemed like their next stop was set in stone. Neither the doctor nor the little boy waited to see if JJ was following as they excitedly made their way towards the large attraction.

JJ couldn't help but feel warm at the sight of Emily and Henry talking animatedly about the games and laying out their plan of attack for the night. It was fascinating that one moment Emily could have her son looking shy and bashful and with nothing more than an encouraging smile he was then talking a mile a minute.

It wasn't the first time that JJ had noticed that characteristic about Emily. The brunette had an air of mystery that just sucked people in but for as much pull as the doctor had; there was just as much push. The blonde hadn't seen it much but she did see how a change in posture or subtle shifting of her facial features put her on the defensive and erected this brick wall between her and the world.

Emily was what JJ believed to be the epitome of mysterious and elusive. From what little time they had spent together she quickly learned that there wasn't just one side to Emily Prentiss. In so many ways it seemed like someone had taken a hammer to a marble statue and hit it hard enough to cause cracks and facets but not with enough force to make it crumble.

If Emily had spent more time with the rest of the BAU team she knew they would have just as hard a time trying to figure her out. Especially when it seemed that the brunette had it perfected to a T and it might have been from her upbringing but JJ had a feeling it was something more than that.

With just a smile, Emily could have someone confiding in her and blissfully happy to do so. With one glance of her brown eyes she could send a chill down their spine; whether it was a pleasurable chill or not depended entirely upon whether the light in her brown eyes was there or not. With a touch she could offer sympathy and compassion but if threatened, that touch could be disarming and deadly. And while JJ hadn't witnessed it, she was sure that Emily's words could cut into a person's flesh like razor blades or they could wrap themselves around them and soothe their trouble soul.

It seemed like the more JJ learned about Emily, the more she realized that she didn't quite know anything at all. It was enrapturing and frustrating all at the same time.

But watching her interact with Henry, looking as though they had know each other for forever, she couldn't get hung up on the many faces of Emily Prentiss.

"How about we try the Ferris wheel next?" The brunette offered, her finger pointing towards the giant ride. Though from the fact that they were already standing in line it seemed like the decision had already been taken out of JJ's hands so she settled for simply smiling and nodding.

Henry's eyes were wide with wonderment as he stared at the illuminated wheel. The colorful lights that streaked across the metal barring, the slight swaying of the caged seats as they rose slowly to the top and halted their movement, providing the perfect view of the city.

"Ready?" Emily looked down at the boy, her smile mirroring his.

He nodded hesitantly before the brunette gave his hand an encouraging squeeze. "Let's go," he said more confidently, his face set with a stubborn determination only seen in boys his age.

* * *

Their seat on the Ferris wheel started its slow climb towards the top, stopping its movement every time one of the cages reached the top. For Emily, it was like nothing she'd ever experienced. Childhood for her was hardly anything to be proud of, there were no notable child-like experiences or moments, just hard learned lessons and cancelled plans. After awhile she learned to read between the lines; learned that when her mother had told her 'something has come up' was a way of temporarily appeasing her childhood requests before quickly nipping them in the bud.

It hadn't taken long for the young brunette to understand that wanting to go exploring or play in the park was not something a Prentiss should be focusing on. By seven, Emily had given up all hope of fun and focused on her schoolwork, always wanting to show her mother just how great she was; yearning for a sense of praise or acknowledgement for her efforts and accomplishments.

So moments like these, where the wind was gently blowing through her hair and the smell of popcorn and hazardously greasy food permeated the air, were something she would remember and cherish for as long as she lived. They felt like a way to regain a piece of her childhood that had long since eluded her grasp.

It was exhilarating really, the slow climb to the top and the view of a brightly lit city laid out before her. Conquering the world was never an idea she had ever entertained, but right then and there, sitting on a Ferris wheel overlooking the city, right there with JJ and Henry, it seemed entirely possible. In fact, conquering the world seemed like an easy feat.

JJ had noticed the melancholy look on Emily's face and had already figured it was because moments like this were rare and fleeting for the brunette. The blonde had seen the shadows that swarmed behind her chocolate brown eyes, had seen the flickers of pain that flashed when she talked about her childhood. But looking at her now, seeing the light playing on her pale flesh and dark eyes, it seemed like a weight was slowly being lifted.

"Have you ever been on one of these before?" Emily asked the little boy next to her.

His head shook but his eyes never left the bright city lights before him, "Nope."

The brunette hummed at his answer before she felt a pair of eyes on her and turned to see JJ looking at her. It wasn't a particularly strange look but it left Emily feeling exposed and raw, almost as if JJ were reading the secrets that she had tried to keep buried inside of her.

"Have you?" JJ asked quietly, her eyes still boring into Emily's.

The doctor shuddered at the intensity, "N-no," she stammered, Jennifer's blue eyes a little unnerving, "but I always wanted to," she added quickly.

JJ noticed the change in Emily, heard the strange nervousness that crept into her voice and try as hard as she might, she couldn't stop the curiosity from getting the better of her. "I take it you didn't get many chances to do things like this?"

Emily's eyes locked onto the buildings in the distance, trying to see if she could spot her condo from their place on the ride. "No, I was raised not to waste time on things like this. Indulgences like this were a character flaw and a distraction." Steeling herself with a deep breath, she glanced at Henry to make sure he was sufficiently distracted before looking JJ right in the eye. "My mother always used to tell me, 'A Prentiss should never show weakness; we are what others can only aspire to be like. When you show them your inner most desires, thoughts and emotions, you give up control. And no daughter of mine will be seen as weak and powerless.'"

JJ listened to the words and tried to imagine being a child and hearing that, she tried to imagine hiding away all the hurt and disappointment and couldn't even fathom it. "Everyone deserves a childhood." The blonde whispered, glancing between Emily and Henry.

Emily offered a weak smile before her eyes skittered away, feeling as though they were revealing more than her words were. "I had a childhood," the doctor said after a moment, "it wasn't ideal and I don't have many good memories," she said truthfully, unable to really remember a time when she was truly happy and carefree. "But it made me into the person I am today so I guess it all worked out in the end."

That wasn't necessarily a good thing, at least not in Emily's eyes, but it was true. Her life had taken so many twists and turns, not a lot of them being good in the slightest, but it had all led her to this moment. Had she changed one thing she might not be sitting there with Jennifer and Henry. So in a strange way, it all seemed worth it.

By the time the two had lapsed into a comfortable silence, the Ferris wheel was making its way back down to the ground, excited giggles and chatter behind them growing with each lurch forward.

"So, another ride or maybe a game?" Emily questioned once their feet were solidly on the ground.

JJ opened her mouth to suggest they head back when Henry pointed towards one last game. "A shooting game?" JJ asked once her eyes has followed the tiny finger and saw the toy rifles that sat neatly on the top of the counter and the ducks that moved in rows from left to right.

"Afraid you'll lose, Jennifer?" Emily teased, having no knowledge of just how skilled JJ was with a gun, even if it _was_ a plastic toy rifle.

JJ smiled widely, her eyes twinkling with mirth and mischief as she walked towards the booth. "Please," she breathed, her eyes rolling as she bent her arms and flexed her biceps, "these aren't the only guns I'm skilled with."

Emily snorted at how cheesy the line was, "That was terrible, Jen. Funny but terrible."

The blonde just shrugged as she walked up to the game booth.

"Let's see what you got, Jareau." Emily joked, knowing that the game stood no chance against someone who carried a gun all day.

JJ looked back at Emily with a cocky smirk on her face, "Oh Em, I'm going to win this hands down. And when I'm done demolishing this game, you'll have a prize to forever remind you of just how awesome I am."

Emily quirked an eyebrow before waving her hand towards the booth; "Well then, don't let me keep you from winning and gloating rights."

The blonde picked up her rifle and looked expectantly at the man behind the booth. The young man flashed her a wide smile, his eyes roaming over her body as he leaned forward on the countertop. "Good Evening," he said to JJ, his eyes only briefly flickering towards Emily and Henry before looking back towards the blonde before him.

"The object of the game is to knock down all of the moving ducks before the time runs out or the ammo cuts off. If you manage to knock down all of the ducks then you get a prize of your choosing." The young man recited the rules like he had probably done so a million times before but that didn't stop him from leering at the woman before him. "Though, for a pretty lady like you, I'm sure I can manage a consolation prize even if you don't win."

JJ just quirked an eyebrow, unperturbed by the terrible flirting the man was doing. "While I appreciate that, it won't be necessary. I'm not planning on losing."

The man behind the counter was nonplussed at JJ's words, in fact, his smile grew even wider as he pressed down on the start button and continued to openly stare.

Emily stood back and watched the man, her heart hammering as she felt the familiar hot coil of jealousy in the pit of her stomach. It was irrational that she should feel even slightly threatened by the man controlling the game but jealousy was often irrational itself.

It wasn't even the fact that he was flirting with JJ but more the fact that he continued to let his eyes roam her body without shame and leer at her like she was a prime piece of steak. Her glare towards the man faltered when the game tune began and JJ positioned her rifle and started to shoot.

Shifting her gaze, Emily watched with wide eyes and a small smile as one by one the ducks fell. Each _pop_ of the rifle was accompanied by one of the ducks falling backwards. No ammo was wasted and the blonde finished well before time was called and none of the poor little ducks were left standing.

The jealousy and anger the doctor had felt moments before were gone in an instant and replaced with nothing but pride and amusement.

JJ paid no mind to the man behind the counter as she picked out a stuffed turtle and handed it towards the brunette, accompanied by a swift kiss on the lips.

The man behind the counter was left dumbfounded as he watched the exchange.

It wasn't a moment she was particularly proud of, but Emily smiled smugly at the young man as she followed the two blondes ahead of her.

Though this wasn't the first man or woman here to openly flirt or eye the blonde, and maybe it was just because their conversation on the Ferris wheel had left her feeling strangely open and vulnerable or perhaps it was just a culmination of the two, but all Emily knew was that she was not a fan of jealousy.

The only bright side was that JJ hadn't even seemed to notice; whenever someone looked at her with a flirtatious smile and a wink, JJ seemed to be none the wiser. It was absolutely amazing to Emily that someone like Jennifer could ignore all the wanton looks and have eyes only for her, that Emily was the only thing she was romantically interested in.

The brunette gripped her stuffed turtle just a bit tighter as she caught up with Henry and JJ, her free hand sliding easily into the blonde's.

"Thank you for tonight," Emily whispered to the blonde, not bothering to hide the joy that coated the words.

JJ looked at her date, the rosy tint to her cheeks only barely visible among the carnival lights, "Shouldn't I be the one thanking you?"

Emily's head tilted to the side in question, a clear indicator she had spent far too many nights alone at home with her dog, her eyes narrowing slightly in confusion.

"For all this?" JJ added; her hand releasing Emily's so it could sweep back towards the carnival that was still thriving with people. Her voice sounding almost comical in the way it made her gratitude seem so obvious.

To Emily, it seemed like JJ was thanking her for singlehandedly setting up the carnival. Which, she probably would have done, considering she definitely had the funds to do so. The brunette's brow furrowed in thought, finding it incredibly mushy and sappy that she would even consider going as far as to set up a carnival just so she could take Henry and JJ.

'_Dear God, what are this woman and her son doing to me? I used to be badass and now I'm turning into a sappy romantic._' Her thoughts came to a sudden stop when Jennifer's hand slid back into hers and their fingers intertwined. '_Okay, so maybe being a sappy romantic isn't all that bad_' her inner-voice supplied; mollified by the warmth that only JJ's touch seemed to bring.

Emily couldn't think of an adequate response to JJ's obvious appreciation for their date so she settled for simply squeezing her hand and moving a little closer to her.

* * *

For the next hour or so the three continued to visit the game booths and rides until it was clear that Henry was crashing badly from his sugar high.

His feet shuffled slowly as they made their way through the still bustling crowd, his eyes drooping more and more as they walked.

"Just a little further Henry, okay?" JJ said quietly, her hand brushing through his blonde hair.

"I'm tired," Henry mumbled sleepily, as if the sheer act of talking was too exhausting.

Emily debated her next move for a second before she stopped in front of Henry and pulled him into her arms, his arms wrapping around her neck as his legs tightened around her waist. "Better?"

Instead of vocalizing his answer, he settled for nodding his head before burrowing it into the crook of her neck.

While the brunette wrapped her arm securely across his back, she felt a strange sense of comfort surge through her. It wasn't as though she hadn't been around kids before or hadn't held one prior to that moment but it felt different.

It was the way Henry, a boy she barely knew, clung to her so tightly and felt secure enough with the person she was and trusted her enough, to fall asleep the moment his head touched her shoulder.

"You guys look cute together," JJ whispered; a loving smile on her face as she observed Henry clinging tightly to the brunette.

"I'm glad you think so," Emily said just as quietly, "because he doesn't seem like he's going to be letting go anytime soon." She felt like a human teddy bear with the way he was curled around her.

As Emily looked down at the Henry, JJ took out her phone and snapped a quick picture before playing it off like she was checking a text message.

"Case?" The brunette asked as she opened the car door and situated the slumbering boy into his seat before moving to open JJ's door.

JJ's brow crinkled for a moment before the one worded question fully registered and she shook her head in the negative, "Oh, no, just checking my messages." Which the blonde figured wasn't a total lie since she was texting the adorable picture she had snapped to Garcia.

"Uh-huh," Emily said with narrowed eyes, "I know your game, Jareau." The doctor closed the space between them and pressed their lips together, pushing JJ into the car door and effectively closing it with a _thud_. "Using me for a few good dates while you text your many suitors." Her hands roamed up and down the blonde's sides, enjoying the warmth that radiated from the other woman.

JJ gasped as her back collided into the car door, her skin flush with excitement, "Like I could-" her voice faltered when Emily's lips moved down her jaw to her neck and nipped at her pulse point, "could ever do better than y-you."

The doctor grinned against the other woman's neck, "I'm glad you're so willing to give me your undivided attention, Jennifer." Her statement was punctuated by a well placed thigh between JJ's legs and a trail of nips and kisses along her jaw line.

JJ's eyes slid closed at the sensation, her hands seeking whatever purchase they could on Emily, torn between fisting her shirt or burying her fingers in the doctor's luscious raven locks. "Em," she groaned quietly, her lips desperately connecting with Emily's.

"Jen," the brunette whispered the electric crackle that accompanied any of their touches suddenly making her knees feel weak and her head foggy.

Before things could go any further, a sleepily mumbled, "Momma?" from the backseat had both women shooting apart as if their hands had been caught in the cookie jar.

"Guess that's our cue to go, huh?" Emily asked a bit breathlessly, her voice sounding impossibly husky.

JJ nodded, the timbre of Emily's voice combined with the lustful glaze to her brown eyes making her throat suddenly tight and dry. "I'm right here Henry," she replied to her son after the world came back into focus and her Emily induced state of arousal had subsided.

The doctor opened the passenger door again and waited for JJ to sit before leaning in and whispering, "To be continued," then promptly closed the door and moved around to the driver's side.

JJ groaned to herself, the words and the promise behind them setting her skin on fire, "to be continued," she said to herself, her fingers twitching in anticipation.

When Emily was seated in the driver's seat, she turned towards her date, her eyes were still dark but her expression was far from the lustful look it had been just seconds before. "Good date?" She asked as confidently as she could, hoping her uncharacteristic nervousness wasn't showing.

The blonde smiled gently, her eyes softening as she cupped Emily's face, "Great date," she corrected before pecking the other woman. "It'll be even better once we get back to my house," she breathed into the brunette's ear before smirking and pulling away, her eyes briefly looking into the rearview mirror to check Henry was sound asleep.

Emily's eyebrow quirked before her mouth formed a small 'O' and her devilish smile overtook her face. "Your wish is my command," she husked as she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, intent on seeing just how much better their night could get.


	11. Chapter 11

JJ house was filled with friends and joyous laughter. It had only been a few months since she and Emily had started dating but things had been going well so far. And to prove that point, she had invited her friends (and technically coworkers) over to relax.

Their work schedules didn't allow for many get-togethers but when they did, JJ tended to take full advantage of them. Plus, it afforded her the chance to try and integrate Emily into their close-knit group.

"JJ you seriously enjoy watching this?" Emily asked when she came out of the kitchen, a cold beer in her hand as she pointed at the television.

"You don't?" JJ asked incredulously, unable to fathom someone not enjoying football as much as she did.

"A bunch of sweaty men ramming into each other and tossing a ball back and forth? Not my idea of a good time." Emily replied, looking at the game as if it were some foreign concept to her.

"Em, if I had known this about you when we first started dating, I'm not sure we would have made it this far," JJ said, leveling her girlfriend with a look of faux-seriousness.

"Jayje, no one loves football as much as you. If that were your criteria for a girlfriend, you would be single for the rest of your life." Garcia chimed in, coming to Emily's defense. "Or dating a man." The tech analyst added as an afterthought.

"Thank you Penelope," Emily said; a smug smirk on her face as she stared defiantly at JJ.

"Hey, hey, don't be getting on my girl's case. How could anyone not enjoy a little football?" Morgan boomed, his arm wrapping around JJ's shoulders in a show of solidarity.

Emily just quirked an eyebrow, her disinterest in the sport showing in her expression as her shoulders bobbed up and down in a casual shrug. "I just don't see the appeal."

JJ's eyes widened as she stared disbelievingly at her girlfriend, her gaze moving towards Derek as if to verify what she was seeing and hearing. "Oh my god," she said exasperatedly, her hands flying into the air with a dramatic flair. "Looks like I've finally found your fatal flaw."

Her girlfriend gave her a look of pure amusement before sidling up to the disgruntled blonde, her hands resting firmly on her hips. "Jennifer," the doctor practically purred, making her name sound like so much more than it was, "I make an effort of taking an interest in all the things you love," the brunette leaned closer, "but I have never and probably _will_ never be a football fan, not even you can change that." And before JJ could respond or snap out of the stupor the doctor had put her in, Emily placed a chaste kiss on her lips before grabbing Garcia and making a quick getaway.

JJ stood rooted to floor, her eyes following her girlfriends retreating figure. "You would think I'd be used to her doing that by now."

Morgan nodded in understanding, watching JJ with rapt attention. While he and JJ weren't exactly close, at least not as close as her and Penelope, he knew a decent amount about her relationship with Emily.

Nothing too intrusive but enough to know that they had been together for a handful of months and that Emily had been getting along with JJ and Henry spectacularly. And if the completely enraptured and lovesick look in the blonde's cerulean eyes was anything to go by, he could only guess that JJ was head over heels in love with Emily.

Channeling his inner Penelope Garcia, Morgan smiled devilishly before bringing his beer to his lips and taking a sip. "But isn't that one of the reasons you love her so much?" He asked innocently, staring at Garcia and Emily talking in the kitchen and pointedly ignoring the shocked look JJ was giving him. "I mean, she's pretty great JJ. If you didn't snatch her up I definitely would have," he joked, noticing out of the corner of his eye how JJ's smile returned full force once she resumed watching her girlfriend.

"Yeah, she is," JJ breathed out dreamily.

"So, are you guys like ready to get a U-Haul and move in together?" He asked bluntly; wondering if Penelope enjoyed doing this to JJ as much as he currently was. It wasn't that he thought they were going to be moving in after only five months of, realistically put, erratic dating but it was just too funny to see the composed Jennifer Jareau scramble to answer.

"W-what?" JJ sputtered; her eyes wide in shock and something Morgan couldn't quite identify.

"That's what Babygirl is always telling me," Morgan said casually, his expression purposefully innocent and curious. "Something about being surprised you made it this long considering it's supposed to happen on the second date."

JJ was not only mortified at the question but also a little offended by the stereotype. At least, until she realized it was Garcia who had been saying it and since the tech analyst didn't have any sort of filter, she found it increasingly hard to be anything other than amused. "That's just a stereotype Morgan." Her hand raked through her hair before she turned to look at her colleague, "Besides, we haven't even said 'I love you' to each other yet."

"Really?" Morgan shouted in surprise, his eyebrows rocketing upwards.

JJ hissed at him, "Be quiet!" Her eyes frantically swept the room but everyone else was engrossed in their own conversations.

"Sorry," Morgan mumbled. "But, seriously, you guys haven't said that to each other yet?" He looked at her quizzically before quietly saying "I thought for sure you would have said it by now."

JJ's forehead crinkled, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged and crammed his hand into his pocket, "It means that I have eyes and I can see the way you look at her." It was said as if it was a wide known fact and JJ couldn't help but blush. "You _do_ love her, right?"

The blonde blushed even harder, her eyes skittering away from Morgan's inquisitive expression before locking onto the brunette across the room. She drank in the way Emily could effortlessly blend in with her friends, how she was so eloquent, how every moment with her seemed like something she should be cherishing. As if every part of her recognized how rare and wondrous their time together was.

Her heart swelled with emotion as she finally let herself admit that, yeah, she was completely, head-over-heels, undoubtedly, irrevocably, and shamelessly in love with Emily Prentiss.

"Yeah," JJ said quietly, "I love her." The words tumbled from her mouth effortlessly, making her entire body feel light and warm.

As if sensing the gravity of the moment, Emily peered over Garcia's shoulder and met JJ's misty eyes, a smile tugging at her lips before she saw the emotions flashing across the media liaison's face.

JJ saw the look of concern and just waved her hand in the air, silently telling Emily that it was nothing to worry about.

Upon seeing that, Emily nodded slightly but made a mental note to ask about it later. She turned her attention back to Garcia and laughed at the far from tactful inquisition into her relationship.

"You should know better than to ask me this kind of stuff Pen," Emily chuckled lightly, "JJ is the one who cracks whenever you interrogate us."

Penelope smacked Emily's arm lightly as she tried to suppress her smile at the truth of her friend's words. "Shh," the tech analyst chided as she jabbed her finger lightly into the doctor's shoulder, "that's my best friend you're talking about."

The brunette smiled even wider, "I like how you didn't deny what I said."

"Because then I would be lying and we both know I'm not very good at that." Garcia said happily before taking a sip of her drink. "I _am_ good at getting juicy details though," she said thoughtfully.

Emily nodded in agreement, having firsthand knowledge of just how much information Garcia could get not only _on_ a person but _from_ a person as well. More details on her relationship with JJ had been spilled to Garcia than the doctor would have ever thought possible. Actually, with the things Penelope knew about them, Emily figured that on at least a technical level, Garcia was practically both their girlfriends.

"I can't refute that, though I would really like to." Emily said ruefully.

"Cheer up Emily," Garcia chirped, a terror-causing smile spreading across her lips as though she were about to devour her prey, "me knowing the ins and outs of your relationship is a _good _thing."

The brunette just stared blankly at her; her expression showing just how doubtful she was of that assessment.

Garcia scoffed and pointed towards herself "I'm all-knowing, sugarplum, which means that I'm your golden ticket out of the doghouse. You should be praising my intrusive tendencies not criticizing them."

"I'm not in the doghouse," Emily pointed out quickly before wondering if Penelope knew something that she didn't. "Wait," the brunette said, holding up a hand to halt the next thing that was about to be said, "am I? Do you know something I don't?"

The tech analyst burst out into laughter, loving how quickly Emily could go from confident to a flustered and worried mess in just a matter of milliseconds. "Oh my dear, sexy, lady lovin' doctor, you are _so_ whipped. But alas, you are not in the doghouse; at least not that I know of."

Emily breathed out a sigh of relief before the rest of Garcia's words registered and then a scowl settled onto her face. "I am _not_ whipped. Emily Prentiss **has** never and **will** never be _whipped_." She said the word with mild disgust, mostly because she was appalled at just how big of a lie her words were. Her mini freak-out about being in trouble with JJ had pretty much proved it. Plus, it was a little pathetic that even _she_ recognized how lost and sad she tended to be when JJ was away on cases. (The fact that everyone had, at some point, equated her to a puppy following its owner, was willfully ignored.)

Garcia gave Emily a look that clearly showed how little she believed that lie, "You keep telling yourself that, sweetie," she said gingerly while patting the doctor's shoulder.

Emily grumbled lightly before walking away, purposefully ignoring the laughter coming from Garcia as she did so.

* * *

For the next few hours, Emily made the rounds and attempted to strike up conversation with everyone there. It wasn't difficult to find shared interests or to maintain conversation. She attributed that to her upbringing and need to hold her own when her mother forced her to attend political parties; it was one of the few things her mother taught her that Emily prided herself on.

Just as the doctor settled onto the couch and started to talk to Reid about some interesting medical studies he had read, JJ appeared behind her and tapped her shoulder, the blonde's face pensive and conflicted.

"Excuse me, Spencer," Emily said politely before getting up from her seat and meeting JJ in the empty kitchen.

"What's wrong, Jen?" The doctor asked softly as she moved closer to her obviously troubled girlfriend. Behind her, Emily could just barely make out the ringing of several different phones. "A case?" She asked suddenly, putting two and two together.

JJ frowned and nodded, her arms crossed at her chest as her teeth worried her bottom lip.

"You've had cases before, Jen," Emily pointed out; not understanding why JJ was suddenly acting like this was a new aspect of her life. It wasn't particularly easy to reconcile that Emily not only needed to share JJ with Henry, which wasn't really ever a problem, but that she also had to share her with work; having had plenty of dates and plans ruined or put on hold because the media liaison needed to up and leave. But when all was said and done, the hectic and somewhat unconventional job hours were more than worth it when Emily finally got JJ to herself.

"It's not about the case," JJ finally said, her blue eyes filled with uncertainty. "Well, not really. I mean, we did get called in on one and have about an hour before we need to be on the jet and headed towards Nevada," she rambled nervously, only stopping when Emily's hands gently gripped her biceps and soothingly ran her thumb over the exposed tan flesh.

"Breathe, Jennifer," Emily chuckled, trying valiantly to hide the sliver of fear that coiled tightly in her stomach. "Now, if it's not about the case then what is it?"

Taking a deep breath as instructed, the blonde exhaled heavily, "I've got twenty minutes to get to the BAU and prepare the case file before presenting it and after that it's wheels up."

Emily nodded, showing she was following along so far, her eyes widening slightly as she silently encouraged the blonde to continue.

"And since I didn't pick this case and had no clue we would be leaving today, I don't have anybody who can watch Henry while I'm gone. I've tried calling my usual sitters but they're all busy and can't make it here."

Emily continued to stare at the blonde, her thumbs still absently rubbing JJ's biceps. JJ, for her part, waited for the information to fully register for Emily and had to bite back a smile when the doctor's eyes widened comically and her mouth dropped open, forming a small 'o'.

"Yeah, so I guess what I'm asking is, do you think you could hang out here and watch Henry?" JJ smiled weakly, unsure of how this request would go over with the brunette. When Emily didn't respond and continued to silently stare at her, JJ started to ramble nervously, "I mean, I know you haven't really spent any alone time with him, at least not for extended periods of time but he adores you and you're the only person I trust enough to watch him. If it makes you too uncomfortable or if it's too soon I can try and find someone else or maybe have Penelope watch him while she works from the office-" her ramble was cut short by Emily's lips pressing softly against hers.

"Relax, babe. No need to freak out or anything; I just needed a minute to catch up. You kind of caught me off guard there." Which was a total understatement as far as Emily was concerned, but she sure as hell wasn't about to tell JJ that.

"Sorry," the media liaison said meekly, her cheeks turning a light pink as she waited for Emily's answer.

"I'd love to watch him, Jayje," she said quietly, knowing that she would have been spending time alone with Henry sooner or later. And rather than put it off and force JJ to look for a suitable sitter, she figured she could bite the bullet and do it sooner rather than later.

"You'll only need to watch him tonight, I'm sure I'll be able to find someone who can take over tomorrow." It wasn't that JJ didn't think Emily could handle a few days alone with Henry but more that she didn't want to push her into the deep end without knowing if she could swim. That was more for Emily's benefit than JJ or Henry's, since the blonde was more than confident that Emily could handle her son. Especially once she saw how the doctor was around the kids at her work and how children tended to take an instant liking to the brunette.

"Don't worry about that," Emily dismissed JJ's offer easily and genuinely, "just focus on your case and I'll watch him while you're gone. Besides, what's the point of having a girlfriend if you can't exploit her and get free babysitting?"

JJ chuckled quietly before wrapping her arms around Emily's neck and crashing their lips together, wanting to pour all of her gratitude and undeclared love into the action. "Thank you for doing this Em," she breathed.

Emily waved her hand dismissively and tried to downplay the enormity of JJ's request, "It's not a problem. Just go and get your stuff and I'll hold down the fort until you get back."

Nodding slowly and pressing yet another kiss to Emily's lips, JJ left the kitchen and went to pack her go bag and say goodbye Henry.

As she watched JJ walk away, Emily tamped down her fear and uncertainty and pushed it to the back of her mind, unwilling to add more to JJ's already full plate by showing just how big of a deal this request was. Once JJ was gone and Henry was asleep, Emily would digest and process this new development, but until then she would be the dependable girlfriend that JJ needed.

* * *

JJ sat on the jet, her phone clutched tightly in her hand and her fingers hovering just above the keyboard. So far, the day wasn't going anywhere near how she had imagined it when she had woken up but there wasn't much she could do about it now.

The weekend was supposed to start off with a fun and long overdue get-together where she could subtly show off her fantastic girlfriend and bask in the easiness that hanging out with friends always provided. From there, it was going to just be the three of them and then just some alone time between her and Emily.

But when Hotch called in, it was obvious that none of that was going to be happening and JJ couldn't exactly hide her disappointment. As much as she wanted to be angry and hate her job, she knew that this was out of her hands. At least when the case was over she would be going home to Emily and Henry and their perfect bubble would still be intact, but the families the team would be interviewing once they landed, the trail of destruction they would be following that would undoubtedly leave people scarred, meant that some wouldn't be going home to the same happiness JJ was.

It was the hope that somehow, some way, JJ was doing _some_ good that kept her doing her job. It was what fueled her to look through gruesome images and murders daily, what made her put up with the press frenzy and the constant travels; all of it was because deep down, she wanted to feel like she was making the world a better place. That somehow, others could remain blissfully unaware of how close their lives had come to being torn apart by a ruthless killer.

Most of all, JJ wanted a place where she could be proud to say her son was raised in; to have the knowledge that Henry could exist in a world with one less serial killer, one less murderer, and sleep easy at night knowing his mom was getting rid of the bad guys.

But sitting on the jet, just mere minutes from takeoff, she allowed herself to wallow in the temporary bitterness and disappointment, because doing all that good and sacrificing days that could be spent with her son to instead track down a serial killer took its toll and if JJ could only be angry at her job and the sick people who make the world a place where nightmares become reality, then she would use that time for all it was worth.

With an increasing heaviness, her fingers quickly tapped on the screen, hammering out the message before the jet started its takeoff and her phone would be forced to turn off.

'**Getting ready for takeoff, will call when we land. And thank you again for taking care of Henry while I'm away. x Jen**'

Her finger pressed the send key before she gave into temptation and tried to rewrite the message. Just as she was about to turn the phone off, the screen lit up and a message flashed across it.

JJ hastily opened the text, her frown long forgotten as a smile pulled at her lips.

'**Be safe and come back in one piece. We'll miss you and expect calls daily.' **Attached to the short message was a photo of both Emily and Henry waving happily, and JJ had to choke down the emotions that the simple picture and message evoked.

As her phone shut down, JJ couldn't help but feel that if there were any reservations or doubt as to whether Emily now claimed a permanent residence in her heart, there certainly wasn't any more.

Little by little, Emily was ruining her and as detrimental as that could be, the feeling of wholeness that the doctor brought to the table more than made up for it.

* * *

Emily sat in JJ's house, having just put Henry to sleep and finally allowing herself to feel a little shocked to be there alone with only Henry to keep her company. It was shocking to the extent that every new step was, but at the same time it shouldn't have surprised Emily that this was happening, it seemed only logical that at some point she would be here.

But like all things in this relationship, Emily felt like it was coming out of right field, even when she could clearly see it coming. Because throughout everything, the doctor had felt like she was walking on unsolid ground. Each step forward had the ground feeling shaky, her knees trembling with the knowledge that with one misplaced step, the ground could crumble beneath her.

It was irrational to an extent, but Emily knew all too well how quickly things could go south and that was something she was avidly trying to avoid with JJ. It was why through everything, she had taken it in stride and made the effort to invest as much of herself into things as she could. The constant fear of falling into oblivion and being left utterly alone and devoid of all the things Henry and JJ made her feel was what fueled her.

Admittedly, had Emily let JJ in on how lacking she was in relationships, maybe she could have been eased into things. But as it stood, instead of taking the chance of wading in the shallow end then attempting to swim to the deep end, Emily had decided to jump headfirst into the deep end and hope that she didn't drown.

It was stupid in a lot of ways but once the doctor had gotten a taste of what being with someone could be she was hooked and far too unwilling to jeopardize it by blabbing to JJ that one night stands were the extent of her relationships. How could a woman like Jennifer, a woman like JJ who had a _son_ want to be with someone who couldn't even hold on to a person long enough to learn their birthday let alone their last name? Hell, sometimes even Emily got disgusted with herself when she thought of how her life had been lived.

So it scared the living crap out of her to tell JJ that she wasn't as great as she seemed now. Because behind the curtain was a woman who had a questionable past and had spent a larger part of her life making sure that everlasting bonds never took hold.

But damn JJ and her bright blue eyes and blonde hair and charming smile; it all just knocked Emily in the gut and sent her scrambling.

The unflappable and untamable Emily Prentiss had been knocked off balance and tamed with just a single look from JJ and Henry. It would have been pathetic had she not cherished the feeling of belonging so damn much.

Knowing she was alone in the house, with the exception of Henry upstairs, made her feel excited and, frankly, scared shitless.

This wasn't the first time Emily had been there. In fact, she had spent quite a few nights in the Jareau household; even recently going so far as to get up in the morning (rather than leaving before Henry got up) and making breakfast. Though that had only really happened because JJ, in her usual coffee-addicted stupor, had kicked Emily out of bed and all but demanded coffee and Emily, being the suddenly whipped girlfriend that she was, had done so without another thought. And only seconds after she had set the coffee down on the nightstand, Henry had come bounding into the room, his smile only getting bigger when his eyes landed on Emily's somewhat decently dressed self.

From that point, sneaking out was unnecessary and was just another stepping stone in their relationship.

The doctor took that one in stride, always secretly relishing in the way things were progressing; but now that she was basically babysitting Henry _and_ house-sitting, it felt like a little much.

Mainly because she was scared of not only what it meant but how her performance during this innocuous test would affect things.

The underlying meanings behind this were not lost on Emily, even if JJ didn't even realize these meanings when she had so sincerely asked for the brunette's assistance.

This meant that not only did JJ trust Emily to occupy her house unattended but more importantly, it meant that she trust Emily with her most precious possession; Henry.

The thought alone had the air from the doctor's lungs whooshing out and her chest feeling abnormally tight, her throat closing in a way she had long since learned to associate with Henry and JJ.

Sighing quietly to herself, Emily leaned her head onto the back of the couch, resigning herself to the swell of emotions that had been simmering beneath the surface for far too long. She couldn't quite put her finger on them all but she was sure that somewhere in there, 'like' had morphed into 'love' and was burning her from the inside out.

"I love Jennifer," Emily whispered to the quiet house, her eyes widening with realization. "I love her," she whispered again, her mind needing to hear it and say it to believe it to be true.

"I love them both," she said quieter, a note of awe in her voice as the words finally sunk into her, sending her heart into a flurry and her stomach twisting in a fit of nerves and giddy excitement.

"Em'ly?" A sleepy voice called from upstairs and Emily's smile immediately grew, wondering why the hell she had waited so long to let herself feel this feeling and fall so ridiculously in love.

"Be right there buddy," Emily said as she walked up the stairs, feeling that sense of belonging that only the Jareau's could bring her.

She couldn't deny that a part of her was still scared by these developments but the fear of moving forward and making progress would probably never leave her, but it was a lot less debilitating when the feeling of loving and being loved was so overwhelming.

* * *

JJ's plans to call and check in with Emily were derailed the moment the jet landed and details about their case were leaked to the press. With her teeth grinding in annoyance, she climbed into one of the officer's cars and headed towards the station, already mentally preparing a statement that would pacify the media while remaining tightlipped on the particulars of the BAU's presence and the intricate details of the murders.

Halfway through her mental outline of her press release, JJ couldn't quite shake the need to check in or at least update Emily.

It was so ridiculously domestic and up until now, hadn't really been a part of their relationship. Sure, she would call or text when she was away on a case but it was erratic at best and was just a way to maintain communication. Which, when JJ thought about it, didn't sound so great but the fact was that they were both busy people and her job made things unpredictable.

More often than not plans were broken and remade only to be broken again. So the few texts and phone calls they _did_ manage to exchange while they were otherwise preoccupied helped keep some form of normalcy in their relationship.

And, truth be told, if phone calls like this were more regular JJ wouldn't exactly hate the idea. Cases never failed to take their toll on her and only once had she caved and called Emily, not explicitly mentioning to the other woman _why_ she was calling. If Emily knew that was why she was calling, she didn't let on, opting instead to talk about the ridiculous things that happened at her office or complaining about mundane things. When JJ hung up, her five minute call having turned into a forty-five minute one, she felt lighter and eternally grateful for Emily's knack for distracting her.

So if those calls were to be more regular, could distract her enough to make it through the case and back home, who was she to turn them down? Emily had made a point of telling JJ to call whenever she needed, constantly making herself available and if the doctor was now willing to watch her son while she was away and even housesit, then a phone call at 2 a.m. probably wasn't going to be what sent her running for the hills.

'_I'm over thinking this, I know I am. Six months in and I still can't stop tiptoeing around. She's seen everything there is to see about my life, knows all the important things about me, knows about my baggage and seems to have accepted it all. Ugh! If she hasn't left by now, she doesn't plan to, stop worrying over everything!_' The mental scolding JJ gave herself worked for the moment, but when you've seen so many good things, heck, great things, go sour more often than not, it gets harder and harder to accept that there isn't going to be some sort of fallout.

Her relationships failed more times than she would like to remember and after so many burnt to the ground, it got easier to accept that even when things seemed to be going superbly, that didn't mean that the steady foundation beneath her feet wouldn't just crumble and drop.

It was a personal fear that JJ had long ago acknowledged and to a certain degree, was always wrestling with. Learning to trust and share the weight of her baggage was not something the blonde had done often or with ease, but the risk of being left heartbroken and alone but knowing love was worth more than the safety of being single and going through life just feeling content.

Love isn't easy; the emotion is strong and a force to be reckoned with, it's the one thing that can anchor a person and still have them flying high above everyone else. It's the thing that makes palms sweat and hearts beat faster than a hummingbird's wings can flap; the emotion that can singlehandedly destroy a person or turn them into the best version of themselves. It's all encompassing but not without its risks.

So it stands to reason that if the reward is that great, then the risks should be just as high. So if giving up that last piece of herself meant a chance at achieving what most people can only _hope_ for, then JJ was going to put it all on the line.

'**Off the jet and on the way to the police station for a press conference. Won't be able to call until we head to the hotel. x Jen**'

The message was sent quickly, her body holding less tension now that she had checked in.

Just as the car pulled up the station, JJ's phone vibrated from within her pocket. Her fingers fumbled clumsily for the device before pulling it out and reading the newest message.

'**Glad you made it there okay. Call whenever you get the chance…no matter how late. I'm a night owl so just call when you can. About anything. –Emily**'

The blonde stared at the message, Emily's voice reading the message aloud in her head. The blonde could hear the pauses in her sentences, the nervous tone of her voice and could easily picture the doctor hastily adding the last line.

"You ready, ma'am?" The young officer asked, his hand holding open the door to the station.

JJ tried not to cringe at the use of 'ma'am' but didn't quite succeed; it was silly but it made her feel old, especially when the officer calling her that looked like he was still wet behind the ears.

Nodding as she reluctantly stuffed her phone back into her pocket, "Lead the way officer Duncan."

With her shoulders squared and her media liaison mask in place, she strolled into the precinct; fully prepared to do damage control and clean up the media mess that had been created.

* * *

When Emily finally collapsed onto JJ's bed, it was already after 3 AM and she wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and give in to her overwhelming need for sleep. She had tried valiantly to wait up for JJ's call but the later it got, the harder it was to keep her eyes open.

So with what little strength she had left, Emily tiredly kick off her shoes and fell back onto the bed, not at all caring for the fact that she was still fully clothed. Her body, as if sensing her readiness for sleep, relaxed instantly and her eyes started to slide shut.

Just as her mind started to wander off and the beginnings of a deep slumber pulled at her, a shrill beeping sounded to her left followed by an obnoxious clattering that the doctor could only assume was her phone vibrating on the nightstand.

Resisting the sudden urge to hurtle the loud object across the room and celebrate its demise, Emily rolled on her side and quickly grabbed it, her finger sliding across the screen to answer the call before it went to voicemail.

"Hello," she mumbled tiredly into the phone, unable to keep the sleep from her voice.

"_Emily? Did I wake you?_" JJ's voice sounded on the other line, instantly clearing the sleep induced fog that had settled over Emily.

"No, well…yes but that doesn't matter. How's the case going?" Lying to JJ was a waste seeing as how Emily was 99% positive her voice was raspy with sleep.

"_Shit, sorry Em, I forgot about the time differences. It's only a little after midnight here but it's got to be like what, three in the morning over there?_"

"I told you to call whenever and I meant it. So, how are you holding up?"

Emily listened to the heavy sigh on the other line and had an inkling that JJ was far from fine. "_I'm managing but sometimes it's just really hard to imagine that someone could do things like this to children. I see it all the time, so I should be used to the brutality of it and stop being surprised but every time it, it just…_"

Emily swiftly cut in, "Jennifer, it's a good thing that after all these years these things still get to you; it shows that you care. When you stop being affected by it and seem impervious to it all, then you should start worrying. But there's nothing wrong with feeling the way you do, especially when you can relate to these parents."

On the other line, JJ cradled the phone to her ear and tried to let the reassuring words wash over her. With cases involving children, it always seemed to hit her more than the others. Specifically because she had Henry and couldn't imagine what she would do if any of those things had happened to her son. 'What if's' always ran through her mind; keeping her awake and running on fumes and day old coffee during those cases, her restlessness only ceasing when she stepped foot into her home and had her arms wrapped securely around Henry.

"_I just hate feeling like this,_" JJ took a ragged breath and tried to reign in her tumultuous thoughts.

"It's okay to let the case get to you, Jen, that's totally understandable." Emily sat up and used her own coping methods as a way for JJ to get through the next few days. "But you can't get caught up in all the gore. Find something to get you through it, find something that takes away, even momentarily, from the case and all the bad stuff that comes with it. Bring a picture of Henry and focus on that, find solace in the fact that he's healthy and away from everything you're dealing with. And when you go back to it the next day, think of the kids you'll be saving not the ones you've lost."

Though that advice was a bit more watered down, Emily was sure it would at least partially help JJ. For the doctor, looking at the positives and trying to see the silver linings didn't usually work. She found it was easier to stuff it all in a compartment and leave it be until it was filled to the brim. Dealing with things was never one of her strong suits; it wasn't necessarily procrastination, but a way of showing that if she didn't acknowledge or explore her pain or emotions, then she didn't feel the weight of them. If she didn't see them, then they weren't really there.

The mask she wore wasn't just to keep people out but to keep things locked in as well. And though she knew it wasn't healthy by any means, it was something she had learned that worked and so throughout the years, she had stuck with it.

But for JJ, she imagined that locking those emotions in would only serve to destroy her from the inside out.

"_Is that why you sent me that picture earlier?_" JJ's voice sounded from the other end, drawing Emily from her thoughts.

"Yeah, you caught me. I thought you might need something to remind you of what you're coming back to." The doctor chuckled lightly, her eyes fixed to the window where streaks of moonlight poked through the curtains.

"_Well, it's working. I keep looking at it and wishing I were back home._" The melancholy in JJ's voice made Emily's heart ache.

"You say that now, but once you get here and spend a whole day with us you'll be wishing otherwise. I'm the fun one which means Henry will be eating things he shouldn't be and doing things you would never let him do. He'll be bouncing off the walls by the time you get back."

JJ huffed on the other line and Emily could almost see her trying to scowl at the words but failing miserably. "_Emily, you wouldn't._"

"Jennifer, I've been told by Penelope that as the fun one, it's my _job_ to spoil him and give him candy and toys and let him watch cartoons all day." A rustling echoed over the line until Emily's voice came back on, "She actually gave me a book of duties that a fun babysitter is supposed to do. I'm pretty sure she made it herself." The doctor didn't even try to hide how impressed she was with the object.

"_Yeah, she handed them out about a week after I gave birth. She takes her job as godmother pretty seriously._" JJ's quiet laughter echoed in the silence for a moment before the blonde spoke again, "_In fact, she's bought Henry more clothes and toys than I have. She once came barreling down the street with about ten or fifteen shopping bags; all of it for Henry, and one tiny bag for her boyfriend. It was ridiculous._"

Emily smiled as she listened to JJ's voice, having no problem imagining Penelope going overboard. "I can imagine. I doubt Penelope is capable of doing anything without going overboard. Hell, even the way she answers the phone is overboard; but it's what makes her so…Penelope Garcia."

"_That's very true. Even if I knew beforehand that she would go crazy with her new title as godmother, I doubt I would have picked anyone else._"

"Well, she may go a little overboard with the shopping but at least she never got Henry's head stuck in a stairwell banister. I did that once and was never recruited for babysitting duty again. You clearly picked a good one." Emily smiled fondly at the memory, seeing the humor in it now that years had passed. But when it had been happening, she was anything but humorous about the situation.

"_You're kidding, right?_" JJ asked incredulously, unable to believe that Emily Prentiss would allow a child to get their head stuck in anything.

"God, I wish I was. My mother made the mistake of trying to schmooze some political prospects by offering me up for free babysitting. The kid was a hellion; he was always knocking stuff down, disobeying me and being a generally spoiled brat. But about an hour before his parent's were supposed to get home, he got the smart idea to stick his head in between the wooden beams of the stairs and got his head stuck."

JJ laughter automatically had Emily smiling, "_Did his parents find out?_" The blonde asked between laughs.

"No, I ended up using a ton of oil and butter to slide his head out just before his parents got home but he ended up spilling the beans about it a week later. It wouldn't have mattered anyways though because they had no intention of befriending my mother, they just wanted the free babysitting."

"_I wish you had told me this story before, I would have thought twice about leaving you with Henry._" JJ joked, her thoughts about the case momentarily forgotten in favor of making fun of her girlfriend.

"Ha ha," Emily said dryly, a smile on her face despite her dry tone, "I'll have you know that since then, I have gotten much better with kids. Being a pediatrician has basically made me the world's best babysitter." The brunette didn't even try to hide the cocky tone to her voice.

"_Oh, really?_" JJ asked, her eyebrow cocking at the haughty declaration from Emily.

"Yes, really. If you can convince a squeamish three year old to let you give them a shot then you're basically qualified as the best babysitter ever. Of course, I had to bribe her with about seven lollipops but still, it counts." Emily had no doubt that her job qualified her as a shoe in when it came to watching kids; she dealt with them on nearly a daily basis. So if anyone was suited to watch a kid, she figured it was her; they were her job after all.

"_Is that your secret, Doctor Prentiss? Just load them up on sugar so they're on too high of a sugar rush to realize they're about to get a shot?_" JJ teased, knowing full well how much children loved the doctor without the added benefit of a sugary treat.

"Well, just between me and you," Emily said conspiratorially, "yes. Lots and lots of candy. Preferably not grape though, I've found that most of them hate grape."

JJ outright laughed at that, imagining the patented Emily smirk and sparkling eyes as the brunette talked. "_I knew it! There was no way Henry would love a trip to the doctor's office as much as he did unless he was being bribed with candy._"

Emily smiled broadly, her back leaning against the headboard of JJ's bed, "Surprisingly, I didn't need to bribe him with suckers; he just enjoyed my company _that_ much."

The blonde could only snort in response, "_Full of yourself much?_"

"Nope," Emily said confidently, her cocky attitude on full display, "I just have a way with Jareaus; they find me irresistible."

JJ couldn't help it, she burst out laughing, unable to deny the way both her and Henry both seemed to fall under the Prentiss spell. There was no point in refuting that; the moment they met the doctor they were both a lost cause.

"_Sometimes I wonder why I put up with you and your huge ego,_" the blonde wondered aloud, her endearing smile betraying the seriousness of the comment.

'Because it's one of the many things you love about me,' Emily almost said before the heaviness of the comment settled in her brain. "It's about eighty percent my good looks and twenty percent my sense of humor." The doctor said instead, refusing to bring 'love' up over the phone; even if it was just in a joking manner.

"_It's more than just that_," JJ said easily and seriously, not wanting the other woman to think she didn't appreciate all the wonderfully complex parts of her personality.

"I know," Emily said softly, all joking gone from her voice.

For a long moment, the silence hung between them; it wasn't necessarily tense but it was definitely charged.

"_I should let you go, you are absolutely going to need the rest if you're going to spend the whole day with Henry tomorrow,_" JJ suddenly said, her voice sounding strained with emotion and a forced lightness.

"Alright," Emily said after a second, unsure how to tread now that something had transpired. What exactly, she had no idea, but she was certain that _something_ had shifted.

Just as JJ started to pull the phone away from her ear, Emily's voice echoed on the line again. "Jennifer?"

"_Yeah, Em?_"

After only a moment's hesitation, Emily spoke up. "I just wanted to say that you're a great person and an even better mom. I would have killed to have my mother care even a hundredth of how much you care for Henry. I know these cases get to you, that they wear you down and make you question everything about yourself and the world, but just know that you're doing a lot of good, even if you don't necessarily see it right now." The doctor fidgeted with the hem of the blanket beneath her, wanting to say what was on her mind but also wanting to word it just right. "You do a lot of good; you give those families a peace of mind that they might not otherwise get. You get killers off the streets and save countless lives in the process. It might not seem like it now, but you are doing more good than you realize."

JJ sat on her motel bed, her eyes watery with unshed tears as she let the words envelope her and become the balm to her troubled mind.

"_Thanks Em,_" JJ practically whispered into the phone, her voice wavering with the fervid emotions Emily's words evoked.

"I'm always here for you Jen," Emily said just as quietly, her voice sincere and open. "Anytime."

"_I know,_" the blonde responded, her fingers clutching the phone tightly as she tried to reign in her emotions. "_I don't know what I would do without you sometimes, Emily._" She confessed, wanting the doctor to know just how much she valued her without muttering the three words that had been on the tip of her tongue since her talk with Morgan.

Emily took comfort in the confession, relishing the feeling of being wanted and needed. It had been a long time since she'd felt those particular emotions and just wanted to bask in them for as long as possible. "You'll never have to find out, at least not if I have anything to say about it."

"_I might just hold you to that,_" JJ taunted, wanting to lighten their suddenly heavy conversation.

Sensing the need for a little levity, Emily smirked devilishly. "That's not the only thing you can hold against me, Jennifer," the doctor purred, her voice oozing with implications and unvoiced challenges.

"_Oh my god,_" JJ groaned, her mind automatically going to the gutter at the words and tone of Emily's voice.

"I'll leave you to let your imagination run wild with that," Emily teased.

"_Just wait until I get back Emily._" JJ threatened, her imagination coming up with several enticing scenarios where she could exact her revenge.

"Night, Jennifer." Emily singsonged, not at all caring for the threat.

"_Good night Emily,_" JJ said reluctantly, trying to shove the traitorous images of a wanton Emily Prentiss from her mind.

"Can't wait for you to get back," Emily breathed huskily before stifling her laughter at JJ's barely restrained groan. "Bye Jennifer."

With that, Emily hung up quickly, dropping the phone on the nightstand and collapsing back onto the bed, a smile on her face that not even her exhaustion could wipe away.

And as JJ lay in her bed, her phone resting on the table beside her bed, she fell asleep with a nearly identical smile stretched across her face, all tension from the case forgotten in favor of thoughts of her girlfriend.

* * *

For the next two days JJ and Emily continued their nightly calls, Emily providing comfort and temporary distractions to the blonde, allowing JJ to take her mind off the case and get what little sleep she could.

When the case finally wrapped up and JJ was sitting on the jet, she couldn't keep her legs still. Every cell of her body felt like it was vibrating, her nerves all of sudden making her fingers twitch and leg jump as her mind relentlessly went over the speech she had been planning since she had left for the case.

Discussing feelings was not always an easy thing to do when Emily was concerned and that was something JJ had long since accepted. No one was without their flaws and that was definitely one of Emily's. Though the blonde figured that was due mostly, if not entirely, to the doctor's mother, seeing as how Elizabeth Prentiss had encouraged Emily from a young age to refrain from showing her feelings.

So broaching the topic of love wouldn't be an easy thing; and blurting it out was certainly not a possibility. Those three words had to be handled with care and JJ had every intention of doing just that.

However, that was easier said than done.

Each speech or conversation she mentally created seemed ill-fitting; the anxiety over it all twisting her stomach into knots and sending a painful throb to her temples.

By the time her car pulled up to her house, she was no closer to what she wanted to say than when she had left for the case. Standing outside her door with the key in the lock, she finally admitted to herself that something of this much importance couldn't be planned and that her best option would be to just wing it and speak from the heart.

Of course, that was before the door opened and a small blurry bundle of joy tackled her; tiny arms wrapping tightly around her legs while "Momma!" was exclaimed happily and repeatedly.

Quickly dropping to her knees, JJ embraced her son in a tight and warm hug, cherishing the feeling of love that only her son could bring her. The stiffness she had been unknowingly been carrying from the case vanished as Henry's arms wrapped around her neck and he planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

"I missed you so much sweetie," JJ said reverently, burying her nose in her son's hair just before she placed a kiss to his forehead.

In the background, the blonde briefly registered the pitter patter of what sounded like paws on the floor and Emily's hushed voice.

With a grace that only Emily seemed to possess, the doctor slowly descended the stairs (or maybe JJ's mind slowed the movement down, the blonde couldn't be entirely sure), a yellow lab trailing excitedly behind her.

"You're back," Emily said with unrestrained joy, her eyes inspecting JJ's form for injuries as she moved closer.

"I'm back," JJ breathed, her arms momentarily outstretched to show she was injury free.

With nothing more than a quick kiss as a greeting, JJ picked up Henry and whisked him upstairs, wanting to spend more time with her son but knowing it was long past his bedtime. In the back of her mind, JJ knew that come the morning, she would be spending most if not all of her day with Henry.

A kiss to the forehead and one story later, the little boy was sound asleep and JJ was slowly making her way down the hall.

JJ walked into her bedroom, instantly smiling once she saw Emily sprawled out on the mattress in nothing more than a tank top and boy shorts. Standing in the doorway, she leaned against the frame and let her eyes roam over the enticing figure of the doctor.

Observing the way her raven hair fanned out on the pillow, how her arm was slung carelessly over her eyes, the way her black tank top rode up her stomach to reveal a creamy patch of her taut and defined abdomen, the seemingly endless miles of perfect legs.

"I can feel you staring," Emily muttered sleepily, her arm never moving from her eyes.

"When there's a sexy woman in my bed, I'm allowed to stare." JJ countered, not at all ashamed of her leering.

Emily chortled and shook her head slowly, "Do you have sexy women in your bed often, Jennifer?"

The blonde stalked across the room, her foot kicking the door shut before climbing on top of the bed and hovering over the doctor. "_All_ the time," JJ teased, trying to keep from laughing at the narrow eyed look she was receiving.

Not one to be teased, Emily decided to give as good as she was getting. "And here I thought I was the only one who could hold the captivating Jennifer Jareau's interest," her words were punctuated by two hands placed firmly on the blonde's hip, her thumbs sneaking under the fabric and rubbing the tender flesh.

JJ shivered at the sensation of Emily's hands on her body, "There are a lot of things about you that catch my interest," she drawled huskily, her eyes openly sweeping down Emily's prone form.

With her patented smirk, Emily tightened her grip on JJ's waist and quickly flipped their positions, effectively pinning the blonde to the bed beneath her.

Suddenly, the playful atmosphere quickly fizzled into one of a much more serious nature. Emily could only stare at JJ, the thoughts from her time alone with Henry rushing to the front of her mind, rendering her unable to continue with their flirty repartee.

The doctor's chocolate brown eyes were suddenly uncharacteristically expressive and open, the steadiness of her gaze making JJ's heart pick up speed.

"Em?" JJ asked quietly, her hand gently brushing the hair away from Emily's face.

Without another word, Emily leaned forward and pressed their lips lightly together, the kiss acting as the reassurance that the doctor needed to say what had been on her mind for days now. Before the kiss could deepen or take things in a different direction, Emily pulled away slightly, taking a deep and calming breath.

JJ's eyes darted back and forth, trying to get a read on what had Emily so pensive and coming up with nothing but a swell of unnamed emotion swirling in Emily's brown eyes.

Slowly, Emily cupped JJ's face, her thumb stroking along her cheek, "I missed you," she said delicately, her eyes never disconnecting the intense connection made with JJ's baby blues.

"I missed you too," JJ responded in the same tone, the words 'I love you' perched on the tip of her tongue.

"More than I thought was ever possible," Emily continued, her body pressing lightly on JJ's as the words tumbled from her lips. "Relationships used to scare the hell out of me," she confessed quickly, not wanting JJ to get hung up on that little factoid. "I avoided them like the plague because I never thought I brought much to the table; I thought I was like my mother in that regard and incapable of really committing myself. I'm ashamed to say that Pre-Jennifer Jareau, I was extremely fickle; stability was something I just couldn't handle, for reasons that are probably best discussed at a later date."

Emily took another steadying breath, wishing her thoughts were coming out correctly and imagining that no, they were not. "I'm not saying this right." The doctor said aloud, her head shaking in disappointment as she tried to mentally regroup. "What I mean to say is that before you and before Henry, I was a ghost. I liked that I existed but at the same time, didn't. And then I went to the park one day and suddenly, being a ghost and just blending into the background didn't seem like such a smart idea."

"Emily," JJ interjected, her eyes softening as a small smile tugged at her lips.

"No, just let me get this out," the doctor insisted, wanting to bare her soul now before she had a chance to retreat behind her defenses. "I met you and Henry and everything…well, if I'm being honest, you two threw everything in my life off balance. Actually, it's still like that." She looked thoughtful for a moment before pushing onward. "I got to know you both and it didn't take long for me to realize that I was slowly but surely being put under your spell, and now I know that struggling is a futile effort on my part. Because while you were gone, I was sitting here and I couldn't think of a better place to be than here babysitting Henry and waiting for you to get back."

Deciding to bite the bullet, Emily smiled nervously and resisted the urge to pull away from the blonde. "So, I guess what I'm trying to say and failing miserably at, is that I'm am ridiculously in love with you Jennifer. I don't know when it happened or how, but I have without a doubt fallen for you."

JJ could only stare in surprise and shock at the raven haired woman above her, the words slowly seeping into her brain. It wasn't until Emily started to pull away that her hand shot forward and hooked around the doctor's neck. Without a second thought, she pulled the other woman down and kissed her for all she was worth.

When the need for oxygen made itself known, they pulled apart, but only long enough for JJ to say, "I love you too, Emily."

Despite the fact that Emily had beaten her to the punch and declared her love first, JJ was pretty sure that she couldn't have topped Emily's speech if she tried. It was unrestrained and honest and a little disjointed, but it was true to form, Emily Prentiss.

So JJ was content to just bask in the declarations and appreciate the step forward in their relationship. Of course, she was also willing to admit that she was looking forward to physically showing how much she loved Emily as much as she was about voicing it. And JJ planned to show it for a very _very_ long time.


	12. Chapter 12

Emily woke slowly, her eyes opening briefly before quickly slamming shut. The night before felt like a dream to her, only the tan arm wrapped possessively around her sheet clad torso confirmed the reality of it all.

It was a shocking revelation, one that the doctor was sure she wouldn't be getting over any time soon, that she was in a committed relationship; and a healthy one at that.

If this had happened just a handful of years earlier or with anyone else, Emily was sure she would have gone running the moment things went from being 'fun' to 'serious' or flat out 'committed'. Those were things the Emily before Jennifer had adamantly avoided.

But now that she was wrapped in a tight embrace, the words 'love' being thrown around like Emily was afraid that once she stopped saying it she would never get the chance to mutter it again, the doctor could see what she had been missing.

People always talked about finding 'the one' and how when you met that person you would instantly feel a connection. You might not know in that moment that they're 'the one' but soon enough the overwhelming feelings the other person evokes makes it all crystal clear.

So for all the eye rolling Emily did when she overheard people talking about sappy romances and meeting their other half, 'the one', the doctor was now eating crow for it. It was hard to believe back then but now that her 'one' was spooning her from behind, sappy romance endings like that didn't seem so farfetched.

Behind her, JJ started to rouse, her fingers beginning to move rhythmically over Emily's bare stomach. "I don't want to get up," the blonde groaned just before burrowing her face into the crook of the doctor's neck.

Emily could only chuckle at the blonde's antics, her eyes blearily staring at the glowing numbers on the alarm clock. "It's already noon."

"More like it's _only_ noon," JJ corrected, her eyes shutting tighter to avoid the bright light piercing through the curtains.

"Well, we would have gotten more sleep if we hadn't stayed up all night doing certain," the doctor paused, her lips twitching in a playful smirk, "_activities_."

Immediately, JJ's head snapped up from its comfortable position, her eyes narrowing as she took in the devilish expression on the other woman's face. "If I remember correctly, which I think I am, 'stop' was not among the words you said during those _activities_. And there were _a lot_ of words, not many of them fitting of a woman of your stature," JJ teased, her fingers outlining the contours of Emily's stomach.

"Oh?" The doctor asked with interest, "Remind me again, what stature is that exactly?"

"The one of a pediatrician who also happens to be an ambassador's daughter; and for such an upstanding woman, you sure have a potty mouth."

Emily couldn't hold back her laughter even if she tried, her smile growing even wider as the many witty comebacks flashed through her mind. The brunette leaned closer, pressing her lips to JJ's neck before whispering, "Does that mean you're going to discipline me? Maybe spank the naughty words out of me?"

Just as JJ moved to capture Emily's lips, the doctor shot out of the bed and walked slowly towards her bag, unconcerned with her lack of clothing as she did so.

In the bed, JJ groaned loudly, her head falling backwards onto the pillow with a loud _thud_, "That was just plain cruel, Em."

Slipping on her underwear, Emily glanced over her shoulder at the petulant blonde, "No, that was the smart move. I doubt you want your son scarred for life when he inevitably walks in on us in a compromised position."

After putting on a pair of jeans and a black button down shirt, Emily crawled back onto the bed and wrapped her arms around the blonde, "We'll pick this up later, but until then, I have to take Aurora home and get my stuff for work."

"You can't take another day off?" JJ asked hopefully, wanting to spend not only time with Henry but Emily as well.

The doctor smile sadly and shook her head, "Unfortunately, no. I've been getting calls about the doctor covering for me; I guess he's not very good with kids."

"He's a pediatrician just like you, right?" JJ asked, unable to fathom how someone whose profession revolved around children, wasn't good with kids.

Emily grinned, the blonde mirroring her own thoughts. "Yep, but he didn't exactly disclose the terrible patient interaction on his application." The doctor's grin slipped a bit, "Crap, that means I'm going to have to look for _another_ doctor now."

JJ pat her arm comfortingly, "I'm sure the third time's the charm. First one was grumpy, second one is bad with kids, so the third one is bound to be significantly better."

"Either I really suck at hiring or doctors just aren't as good as they used to be," Emily mused, not wanting to think about having to fire her newest addition or having to start the hiring process all over again.

"Probably both," JJ joked, smiling widely as she taunted the doctor.

Emily narrowed her eyes playfully at the blonde, "I don't need to take this abuse." To prove her point, Emily gracelessly rolled off the bed and walked towards the bedroom door, only stopping when JJ's voice filtered through the air.

"See you tonight?" She asked softly, all hints of jest suddenly gone.

Looking over her shoulder, Emily offered a bright smile and a look that clearly said 'duh, where else would I be?' but in case JJ didn't catch that, she vocalized her agreement, "Of course, there's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Love you," JJ shouted as Emily passed through the doorway and headed down the stairs.

The blonde listened for a moment, wondering if Emily had heard her when she was met with nothing but silence.

Suddenly, Emily's head popped into the doorway, "Love you too," and then the brunette was gone, the sound of the front door closing reverberating through house.

The pitter-patter of small feet thudding on the wood flooring quickly followed, and JJ braced herself for the blonde bundle of joy that was sure to come bounding through her bedroom door.

* * *

Emily walked into her office, her smile never fading despite the torrential downpour outside or the overcrowded waiting room. No amount of crying children or unpleasant weather conditions were going to wear down her good spirits.

For the first time in years the doctor felt carefree, as though things were finally starting to line up the way they were supposed to.

So it served as no surprise to her when the day started to fly by. One moment, she was walking into the office, shrugging on her doctor's coat and grabbing the chart for her first patient, and the next thing she knew, it was lunch time. Five hours had flown by and the doctor was reluctant to give up her great pace in favor of a twenty minute lunch break. But the rumbling of her stomach made it clear that the decision wasn't in her hands.

"I'll be back in twenty, Suzie, page me if anything comes up." Grabbing an umbrella, Emily cast a friendly smile to her newest receptionist and stepped outside. The smell of humidity and rain hung heavy in the air, something Emily found a small comfort in.

The walk down the block towards her favorite sandwich shop was leisurely, the doctor taking the time to simply enjoy her surroundings before jumping back into the chaos of sick children.

As she walked through the doors, her stomach rumbled again, the smell of freshly baked bread assaulted her nostrils. Behind the counter, a man in his late forties with salt and pepper hair smiled happily at Emily, his hazel eyes crinkling while his hand rubbed his stubbled beard, "Are my eyes deceiving me? Has Emily Prentiss finally decided to grace us with her presence?" The man joked, his burly chuckle automatically making Emily join in.

The doctor rolled her eyes good-naturedly; her hands held out in a surrendering motion, "Okay, okay, I get it. It's been awhile." Without another thought, she walked up to the counter, not bothering to look at the menu. She had been frequenting the establishment for as long as she had been working at her practice, which was quite awhile.

"Uh-huh," The man eyed her skeptically, giving her the once over. If anyone else had done it, Emily probably would have lashed out at them or given them a glare so strong they might have combusted, but that wasn't the case with the man before her. "Well, it best not happen again," he told her sternly, his crooked smile taking the edge off of his reprimand.

"I hate to say it Roy, but you're stuck with me as customer. No other place in DC even compares to the food you make."

"Buttering me up, eh?" Roy asked seriously, his eyes narrowing as he took in the disarming and well utilized smirk on Emily's face.

When the doctor simply shrugged and asked, "Is it working?" His serious expression morphed back into its familiar smile.

"Unfortunately for me, yes, it is." Without asking, he got started on her lunch order, his head shaking slightly as he commented, "I feel bad for the people of this city; they must be putty in your hands."

Emily stifled her chuckle, finding it oddly amusing that so many people felt the need to say she was a heartbreaker, especially considering how woefully low her real date count was. "Well, maybe before but not anymore."

Roy quirked an eyebrow and looked at the Emily a minute before turning his attention back to the food, "Has someone finally snatched you up? Because honestly, I was startin' to wonder if you were gonna ever get taken off the market."

The brunette hesitated for a moment before the words spilled from her mouth like vomit, "Actually, yeah, I am. I've definitely found someone worth holding on to."

Roy didn't ask any more questions, seeing all he needed in the brunette's answer and her suddenly bright eyes. "Good."

Their casual conversation carried on until Emily paid and grabbed her food, sitting down in the far back corner to eat.

* * *

When Emily got back to the office, it was just as hectic as when she had left it; parents and children sitting in every available seat, the sound of coughing and sniffling sounding constantly in the waiting area.

But once the doctor got into the swing of things, the patients waiting started to dwindle until the room was left entirely empty.

Once the day was over, Emily gathered her things, finally starting to feel the activity of the day taking its toll on her. Just as she locked up her office door, Suzie called out, waving a blue Post-it note in the doctors direction.

"Oh, Emily, I forgot to give this to you after you got back." The receptionist offered an unsteady smile as she handed over the note. "Some guy called earlier and wanted to talk to you. I told him you were out to lunch and would be back shortly. When I asked if he wanted to leave a message he said no and hung up. I didn't get a name but I wrote down the number."

The doctor nodded absently, her eyes trained on the unfamiliar number. "This isn't a local number," she said aloud, trying to pinpoint exactly where she knew the strange area code from.

"Well, he didn't sound like he was from here. Maybe Irish or Scottish?" Suzie shrugged and started to collect her things.

"Maybe," Emily said distractedly, wondering if the number belonged to who she thought it did and hoped that it was just a coincidence. But if it turned out to be the person she suspected, there was no way she was calling them back. She had the distinct feeling that if she returned the call she wouldn't like what was going to be said and Emily would rather not invite that kind of trouble into her life.

Especially now that she had actually let people into her life; now that she had people who were important to her.

"Ready?" Emily asked Suzie, waiting for the receptionist to leave before locking up the front doors and heading towards her car.

She was running on autopilot, her mind stuck on the past and her fingers clutching tightly to the Post-it, as if by releasing pressure it would disappear before her very eyes. Her stomach churned and her head throbbed, a sense of fear crawling up her spine.

"Snap out of it Emily." The doctor scolded herself, her voice sounding strange inside the empty car. "If it was who you think it was, then he would have left a message. Odds are it's just some pharmaceutical rep or wrong number."

Slowly, her voice began to steady, but the nagging feeling of doubt lingered.

"You have a life now; don't screw it up because you're being paranoid." She told herself as the car idled outside of JJ's house.

With a steely determination, she crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the backseat of her car.

As she approached the door to the house, it unexpectedly swung open. Henry bound down the stairs and ran towards the brunette while JJ leaned against the frame and watched with a soft smile.

"What took you so long?" JJ asked as Emily crossed the threshold, placing a quick kiss on her lips before walking towards the kitchen.

"What do you mean?" The doctor asked while placing an overexcited Henry on the ground.

"I heard your car pull up about five minutes ago, thought you might be reconsidering spending the night," the blonde said offhandedly as she stirred the food she was preparing, asking more out of curiosity than suspicion.

Emily's smile dropped for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of telling the truth versus lying. After a brief internal struggle, the doctor opted to omit as much of the truth as possible. "Just needed to sort my thoughts before coming in; things were a bit crazy at work today, especially right before closing."

JJ nodded in understanding, quickly shutting the stove off before walking towards the brunette and wrapping her arms around her waist. "Well, now that you're here, you can relax."

The doctor let her body melt into the embrace, forcing her mind to stop racing over 'what ifs' and instead focus on the people around her. She figured there was no use worrying over things when she had no idea if they were even worth fretting over.

"Thank you," Emily muttered into the top of the blonde's head, her eyes sliding shut for a moment as her anxieties faded away.

"For what?" JJ replied quietly, pulling back to look into Emily's eyes.

There were a lot of things Emily was thanking her for, but if she were to list them all it would take all night. So she settled for the simplest ones. "For this," she said, taking a step back and waving between the two. "For giving me a shot at something I didn't think I deserved," the brunette sighed lightly, "for loving me."

Cutting her off by pressing a finger to the doctor's lips, JJ smiled softly; her eyes looking sadder than she intended as she wondered how someone as great as Emily could think they were undeserving of being loved. "You don't need to thank me for that stuff, Em," and JJ meant it. Loving the brunette came easily, especially considering how it had snuck up on her.

"I'll always be here for you after a rough day; it's one of the many bonuses to being in a relationship," Which was something JJ knew firsthand seeing as how she had called Emily up during the last case, seeking nothing but comfort and a sense of familiarity. "And as for the not deserving this," her hand rested on the other woman's cheek, "well, that's just plain crazy. Everyone deserves to be loved."

"And I have no doubts that I love you, Emily Prentiss." JJ let her hand slide down until it intertwined with Emily's, squeezing it tightly as their lips met in a fierce kiss.

The brunette pulled back, her troubled eyes suddenly clear and smile coming back full force, "I love you too, Jennifer." The words rolled right off her tongue and for a second, Emily wondered if she would ever tire of saying them. From the way she felt the urge to say it every time she saw JJ, she sincerely doubted it.

JJ groaned and playfully rolled her eyes, "Pen was right, we're disgustingly sappy."

Emily swatted at the blonde, "I blame that entirely on you. You've reduced me to a terrible lesbian cliché."

"I had nothing to do with that, that was _all_ you." JJ quickly argued, huffing with indignation at the accusation.

"Yes, dear." Emily patronized, sidestepping the blonde's playful smack and walking towards the kitchen.

"Keep it up, Prentiss" JJ threatened, following after the brunette.

"Or what? Are you going to punish me?" Emily taunted, picking up their flirty banter from earlier that morning. The doctor childishly stuck her tongue out at the blonde before grabbing some plates to set the table.

Just as Emily reached up to grab the plates from the cabinet, JJ snaked an arm around her waist, "Yes." Her hot breath ghosted over Emily's ear, causing the brunette's hand to tremble, the sound of the plates rattling together seeming to echo in the otherwise silent room.

The next flirty remark rested on the tip of Emily's tongue, but the interruption in the form of JJ's son, quickly had the words dying in her mouth.

JJ turned around, but not before throwing a smoldering look filled with promise at the doctor, "Come one Henry, you can help Emily set the table."

Emily ruffled the boy's hair before delicately handing him a plate, her worries over the mysterious phone call long forgotten in favor or relishing her time with two of the most important people in her life, though somewhere in the back of her mind a sliver of fear still lingered.

* * *

**A/N: So, as you might have guessed, things are going to pick up from this chapter onward. **  
**Before I get too into things, I'm going to ask if you guys think there are things or events from Emily's cannon story line that should be mentioned, things that you feel are important to what makes her character, well, her. **  
**Interpol is a given, but feel free to leave comments or suggestions.**

And thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter.


	13. Chapter 13

Days passed slower than normal for Emily, her attempts to remain focused on her life, job, and the two most important people in her life doing nothing to keep her mind from wandering. No matter how much time she spent around the two, she couldn't help but feel that her days would only continue to feel longer and longer. That didn't stop her from trying though, which was why, even then, she continued to submerse herself in her relationship.

Emily smiled at JJ, outwardly projecting the woman she had been since she met the blonde and her son in the park but inwardly, she was in a state of chaotic discordance. Her eyes were fixed on the sight before her, watching with nothing short of pure adoration as JJ pushed Henry on the swing set.

His face was lit up with childlike joy, his smile so wide it showed off his tiny white teeth; JJ's smile just as wide as she pushed him higher and higher on the swing.

But as Emily watched the scene with a tight smile, she found herself unable to completely keep up the mask she was wearing. Too many things were on her mind and she was having a hard time juggling the person she wanted to be with JJ and the person she was before she had met her and even the person she was before she moved to D.C.

No matter how hard she tried to immerse herself in her current life she couldn't get that stupid blue Post-It note to leave her mind. The crumpled piece of paper haunted her dreams, the numbers flashed before her eyes, the voice she had heard so many times before was suddenly everywhere.

Part of her was going manic with the paranoia and while she could have easily called the number and put an end to the million and one scenarios her overactive mind was supplying her, she found that the reality of having her fears confirmed or denied seemed so much worse than living in this strange sense of limbo she was in.

But just like all the times before, she knew that this phone call, the way she was being tracked down and called, meant that nothing good was going to come from this. There was no way that Sean was just calling to have a chat about the weather and what Emily had been up to. No, this call was about something else entirely.

'_Stop it, Emily. Stop thinking about it and focus on the here and now._' She scolded herself, unwilling to allow herself the time or chance to fall down this particularly unpleasant rabbit hole.

With measured steps and a small smile, she strode towards JJ and Henry, completely intent on taking her mind off things.

Though no matter how hard she tried, the blue note continued to flash in her vision and the numbers continued to pop up everywhere she looked, engraved on every object she set her eyes on.

* * *

Sitting alone in her office, Emily glanced at the phone for the hundredth time that hour and finally got up the nerve to dial. Just as her hand hovered over it, mere inches away from making contact, the phone burst into a shrill ring.

Her hand shot backwards, her heart hammering in her chest as she tried and failed to regain her composure.

"Stop it Emily!" She berated herself, her own pride making her unwilling to bend to the irrational fear and anxiety that was overtaking her body.

Her eyes set into a cold stare as she smoothly picked up the phone and placed it to her ear, already feeling herself slip into the detached person she had spent so many years perfecting.

"Emily Prentiss," she said emotionlessly into the phone, her tight grip being the only indicator of her slight discomfort.

"Emily?" The accented voice on the other end questioned hesitantly, clearly not at all perturbed by her detachment and cold tone.

"Hello Sean," the doctor greeted neutrally, staring intently on the wall across from her desk, "how have you been?" Though the question was meant to be polite, the words were anything but. No matter how hard she tried, the animosity she felt towards the man for dredging up memories she felt were better left buried and making her panic for days over a handful of phone calls was bleeding through her tone and she couldn't do a thing to stifle it.

"I've been better," he said honestly, his voice sounding tired and weary even to Emily and she instantly bit back the anger that was making itself known. "But we don't have time to discuss that, at least not over the phone."

Emily sighed quietly to herself, wondering just how bad this discussion was going to be. "Text me a time and place," was all she offered, her mind already starting to devise the many outcomes that could occur and the many repercussions they would have on her life and relationship.

"I'll see you later, Emily," were the last words to float through across the line before it went dead.

The whole thing was a bit too surreal for Emily to handle and no matter how hard she tried to reinforce the reality of her situation, she couldn't seem to make herself believe it was really happening.

Throughout out the day, it felt like she was in a dream. She knew, logically, that she was going through the motions, interacting with patients and doing her usual daily routine; but some part of her mind, the part that often acted as a defense mechanism and protected her from the things she likely couldn't entirely handle, had her feeling as though the world around her were fuzzy at the edges. Her body felt light, but not from a sense of tranquility, her eyes were seeing and yet her brain couldn't connect the sights with the relative thoughts, and her feet carried her around without having been given direction.

All-in-all, she felt a little out of her depth and it was a strange thing to realize that, although it hadn't been that long since she functioned this way, she had gone through most of life like this. Existing but not really _existing_.

It was also a little startling to realize how easy it was to slip back into her old ways, relapsing into the Emily Prentiss who brushed off her problems and kept a cool distance from things that would have bothered most.

A part of her felt disgusted with it, to know she had made so much progress only to slide back down the hill and seek refuge in the familiarity of her old way. A different part of her, though acknowledging the disgust and sense of betrayal, knew that this was a coping mechanism and nothing more.

The old Emily, the pre-JJ Emily, wouldn't have felt an ounce of remorse or guilt at behaving this way and that was the only thing keeping Emily from losing all hope in herself.

It was what made her think that she wasn't as messed up as she had thought; though that didn't negate the fact that she clearly had some issues–one of which was clearly labeled Sean McCallister.

* * *

As Emily stood outside the bar, her phone rang for the third time that evening, the name 'Jennifer' flashing across the screen in bright white letters. Her finger hovered above the buttons on the screen, darting from the green 'Answer' button to the red 'Decline' button; swiftly shooting across the screen like she was playing an imaginary game of pong.

With a sigh, knowing she couldn't just ignore JJ and having a hunch that if she continued to put off talking to her, JJ would only get more worried and call more often.

At the last moment, she hastily pressed the green button on the screen and held the phone to her ear, "Hey, Jen," she answered somewhat tiredly.

"Emily," JJ breathed, unable to hide the sliver of worry that laced the doctor's name.

"What's the matter, Jen?" Emily asked, trying her hardest to sound as though she were oblivious to JJ's previous phone calls; she didn't need the blonde knowing that she had purposefully ignored those attempts to get in touch.

"I've been–" JJ started before she stopped, catching herself, and changing what she was about to say, "It's nothing, I guess I tend to worry easily. When you didn't answer during your lunch break, I guess I thought the worst. One of the downsides to my line of work, I suppose."

The words were like a punch in the gut and the doctor couldn't help but wince at the reaction her withdrawal had elicited from Jennifer.

"I'm sorry," Emily whispered into the phone, feeling as though the apology was covering for more than just the ignored phone calls. Trouble was brewing and this felt like a way for Emily to preemptively apologize for all the things she knew she was going to do wrong and the inevitable pain she would unknowingly cause. "I skipped lunch and turned my phone on silent while I started on the stacks of paperwork and files in my office."

The line settled into a tense silence, one that Emily continually tried to break but found herself unable to say anything that wouldn't exacerbate the situation or JJ's worries.

"Do you have a lot left to do?" JJ finally asked, her tone sounding normal but Emily picked up on the hint of worry that still clung to her words.

"Maybe an hour or so," Emily responded, her eyes scanning the parking lot of the bar as she stepped further away to keep the outside noises at bay. "But after that I've got to head home and take care of Aurora. I think she might be a little depressed that I haven't been home much."

It was a brush off and both women knew it but JJ chalked it up to stress and let it slide, knowing, or more accurately hoping, that Emily would talk to her about whatever it was in due time. Emily though, knew that after this conversation she probably wouldn't be able to fully hide her thoughts and would undoubtedly need time to process whatever was about to be discussed with Sean.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow though, alright? Maybe we can grab lunch or something?" Emily offered, reluctant to completely distance herself from the blonde. She figured that if she had a day to process and sort through her thoughts that she would be fine around JJ and able to keep her troubles hidden, at least for a little while.

"Sure," the blonde agreed but it was lacking its usual enthusiasm. "Night Em."

The doctor furrowed her brow at the dismissal but couldn't say she didn't bring it upon herself. "Goodnight, Jennifer," she said quietly, her eyes downcast as she willed herself to remain strong.

* * *

Taking a few moments to compose herself, Emily slid her phone into her pocket and stared at the door before her. As she contemplated turning around and going home, she found her feet shuffling towards the entrance.

The sturdy wooden slab was the only thing that separated her from her past and she was hesitant to breach that barrier.

'_You're a Prentiss and Prentiss's don't run from problems, they face them head on._' She internally chided herself before she pushed her qualms down and into the dark drawer they belonged in.

The transformation was done and Emily was no longer the pediatrician with a friendly if slightly guarded disposition, no, now she was the daughter of Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss; the woman who had learned to hide her emotions at a young age, the person who could school her face into an expressionless mask that kept her thoughts hidden and her intentions disguised.

With a stiffened back and even stiffer shoulders, Emily pushed the door open and strolled into the bar, her posture creating an atmosphere of pure professionalism and cool disregard.

Glancing around as she walked further into the primarily empty establishment, Emily couldn't have imagined a better place to meet. The place wasn't exactly a seedy one but it was off the beaten path and didn't seem to have many frequenters.

Off in the back corner, in what had to be the dimmest part of the bar, sat Sean McCallister.

He looked older than she last remembered, appearing more haggard and worse for wear. His blue eyes seemed dull, the dark circles under his eyes making them look more shadowed and haunted. His previously jet black hair was longer and scragglier, the ebony strands now littered with gray hairs. Overall, if Emily had to use one word to describe her old colleague, she would have said he looked worn.

While Emily slid into the seat across from Sean, he leveled her with a scrutinizing gaze. He was looking at Emily for what felt like the first time in eons and he could easily see the changes in the woman, even through her obvious façade of cold detachment.

It was in her eyes; the brown windows to her soul that had been so closed off all those years ago were still guarded but Sean could just make out the emotions that were swirling within them. He could see the fear, the insecurity and especially the doubt.

Her ability to close herself off combined with her knack for languages and intelligence was what had him convinced she would be a great asset. But it was those eyes that made him realize how _perfect_ she would be and yet, as he sat there staring at her, seeing the subtle changes in her, he felt the familiar pang of regret.

Her life was about to fall apart and a promise was about to be broken and if he'd just passed on her all those years ago, maybe she would be happier and living a life she could be proud of. As it stood though, whatever she had built, whoever had managed to get her to open up and finally let someone in; all that progress was about to be demolished when she heard what he had to say.

Sean sat there, his eyes on her the entire time as he idly ran his finger along the water ring on the wooden table. His face was grim and even if he chose not to say anything at all, Emily could guess that his news was far from good.

His expression, however much effort he put into trying to control it, revealed what he had yet to verbally confirm.

"I was going to call you back, but I've been busy with my patients and work," Emily offered after the silence dragged on just a little too long for her liking. Despite the bad news she knew Sean carried with him, she still felt that her avoidance deserved an apology. It wasn't as though the man across from her was only a coworker or something; he had been someone important in her life at one point in time.

Sean waved the comment off, his lips pressing into a thin line before he expelled a puff of air and willed himself to maintain eye contact with the woman across from him.

"Ian Doyle vanished from prison, Interpol can't find him." His tone was just as grim as his face, his eyes roaming over hers as though he expected some sort of panicked outburst.

Instead of screaming or vehemently denying the claim, Emily blinked once, then twice. Her eyes fluttering shut slowly each time as she willed her heart to beat at a normal pace and for her mind to focus solely on the conversation they were having instead of whether she should be fleeing the country or not.

"How–What are you saying?" She finally managed to say after a solid minute of running through scenarios in her mind. Emily needed as much information as Sean could offer and had a feeling she wouldn't have long to gather it.

"I'm saying that he's free and he's off the grid, Emily" Sean leaned forward in his seat, clutching his beer almost desperately as he peered intently at the doctor.

Emily sat there, leaning back into her seat as a sense of calm washed over her. The doctor had no doubt that the amount of cold, heart-gripping fear that was running through her had somehow temporarily numbed her.

Somehow, she felt like she was watching things play out from out of her body, watching from the sidelines as her real self continued to just stare.

There were so many questions, so many things she needed to do and say and suddenly it felt like she didn't have enough time for any of it.

"Do you think he's headed here?" Emily finally asked, voicing the one question she almost certainly knew the answer to but needed to have it confirmed before she would truly start to panic.

Sean didn't answer but the sad look in his eyes said all that needed to be said.

There was no way that Ian Doyle was going to just let them get away with putting him away like that; obviously he was going to hunt them down like rats and take each one of them out.

"Am I in danger?" She asked; again, already knowing the answer to that question.

This time, Sean's face clouded in fear before it disappeared and was replaced by a seriousness that chilled Emily to the bone. "We all are," he muttered before downing the rest of his drink and sliding out of the seat.

He had delivered his message and Emily couldn't really blame him for wanting to run as far away and as quickly as possible. Hell, if Emily didn't have her practice and JJ and Henry, she probably would have packed up her things, grabbed Aurora and moved somewhere else until she could come up with a decent plan of attack.

But as it stood, there was no way Emily could just leave, which meant she was basically a sitting duck.

As Sean moved to leave, the doctor shot her hand out and grabbed his wrist lightly, "Stay safe," she whispered, her eyes worried for just a moment before the shutters dropped.

He nodded, appreciating the words but knowing that they would be of little use and then he was swiftly exiting the bar. As he walked out, only glancing back for a second to see the confused and contemplative woman still seated at the table, his last thought was that none of them were safe, not really.

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait between chapters but work has been quite hectic and hasn't left me much time to write. But things are slowing down just as this story is picking up so hopefully I can pump out the chapters at a steadier and more frequent rate. **  
**Thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter and left suggestions, comments, and reviews. **

**As you can tell from this chapter, Ian Doyle will play a part in the future chapters but he isn't going to be the sole Interpol story line, so for those who voiced their dislike for that series of events, I hope you can enjoy that spin on things. **  
**I'm hoping to have the next chapter up by Friday but definitely no later than Sunday.**


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